Philadelphia karate teacher shows off the move he used to chase down, kick purse thief
Imagine you're at the dry cleaner in Northern Liberties, when all of a sudden, a stranger snatches your purse and takes off running with it.
That's exactly what happened to Jennifer Romanelli last Thursday. She thought she'd never get her bag back, until a nearby karate instructor stepped up to save the day.
"I just instantly ran out of there and then just started screaming for help to see if there was anyone around that could help me stop him," said Romanelli, recalling the moments after her purse was snatched.
Surveillance video from inside Action Karate shows instructor Stephan Venter didn't think twice before taking off after the would-be purse snatcher.
"I didn't even think about anything. I just ran out of the door and saw someone that needed help, the guy running with a purse, and went after him," said Venter, a 33-year-old from South Africa.
When Venter caught up to the man about a half block from 3rd and Poplar streets, nearly three decades of karate experience kicked in, literally.
Venter landed a leg kick that dropped the man to the ground, forcing him to drop the stolen bag and scurry away.
"I was, in a way, disappointed. I wanted him to stand, but he didn't want to stand," said Venter with a smile. "I was ready. If he wanted to take it to the brawl, I was ready for it."
Romanelli calls Venter her angel, and thanked him for swooping in to save her bag when no one else would.
"He came out of nowhere. Literally, came out of nowhere and just appeared and gave me my bag back. I was like, 'oh my god, how is that even possible?'" said Romanelli. "He was here, just doing his thing, and he heard cries for help. And he went and helped a person. And he doesn't know me, he didn't owe me anything. I just think that that's a remarkable human to do something like that," said Romanelli.
While Venter says he'd do it all again in a heartbeat, the incident has inspired him to host a free self-defense seminar for women on Saturday, March 15 at 2 p.m. His goal is to give them the skills to defend themselves in a similar situation.
"We're going to work on mostly situational awareness, and 3 or 4 self-defense [moves] that we're going to practice over and over," said Venter.
If you're interested in signing up for Venter's self-defense class, there are still spots available. For more information, you can call Action Karate at (267) 762-2205 or email the studio at actionnorthernliberties@gmail.com.
