A burglar faced unexpected consequences after attempting to break into a church on Thanksgiving, encountering a pastor skilled in martial arts. The incident happened in Antioch, California.
On Thursday morning, Nov. 28, a man broke a window at First Family Church, a Baptist church in Antioch, Calif., with an axe, triggering an alarm, according to a Facebook post from the Antioch Police Department (APD).
Pastor Nick Neves responded to the disturbance and was “not expecting” to encounter a burglar, according to police.
In a surprising turn of events, the unidentified man resisted when approached by the pastor.
“I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way,” Neves, 46, recalled to NBC News. “And he ran and I grabbed a hold of him and we ended up wrestling in the church’s parking lot.”
The pastor of the First Family Church also possessed a hidden talent — extensive martial arts training.
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“I like to stay fit,” Neves told NBC News. “And I studied in some jujitsu and kickboxing and I have a mixed martial arts background.”
He mentioned to the outlet that this training proved useful, enabling him to “grapple with this gentleman without having to do much harm to him.”
During a standoff lasting approximately 12 to 15 minutes, Neves restrained the attempted burglar until law enforcement arrived to take him into custody, as reported by the police.
“I was able to pin him to the ground and he got up and try to get away several times,” Neves told NBC News. “But basically just trying to wear him out because I knew I could outlast him.”
According to a Facebook post by the APD, Neves emerged from the Thanksgiving incident unharmed. Community members shared their pride and commend him for his excellent work in the comments.
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“It could’ve gone in [a] totally different direction and we thank God that it didn’t,” a longtime member of the church, Jeff Strawther, told NBC News. “[Neves is] very tough and we’re very grateful to God that he’s our pastor and not our enemy.”
In an interview with the outlet, Neves expressed his hope that the burglar will turn over a new leaf. He further clarified that if the man had just entered the church’s front door — which had just supplied groceries for 130 families — he would have helped him out.
“It’s just ironic,” the pastor said. “If he had come a couple of days earlier, he would have been blessed and get some food and be cared for. But he decided instead to smash windows and desecrate property and do something that’s going to hurt the ministries.”