UFC middleweight standout Andre Petroski, alongside his team and coaches, aided in apprehending an alleged sex offender while traveling home following Saturday’s UFC 292 card in Boston.
Petroski earned his fifth-straight win over the weekend, defeating Gerald Meerschaert via a closely contested split decision inside TD Garden. Making his way home following the victory, Petroski along with his cornermen, Eddy Torres, and Billy Janzer stopped at a rest area where they discovered a man allegedly masturbating to young children that were present in the area. Realizing the disturbing nature of what was happening, Petroski and his team lept into action.
“We walk out and my buddy Billy is like, ‘Yo, did you see that?’” Petroski said. “I was like, ‘Nah.’ He was like, ‘The dude next to me was jerking off in the urinal watching me piss. I just looked over, and he was staring at me.’ At first, I was like, ‘Are you sure, bro? What are you talking about?’ We go back in and the dude is still there. This time, he runs into the stall, and he’s watching people go to the urinal.”
After waiting for the man to emerge from the stall for 20 minutes, the three men and the rest stop manager decided to take matters into their own hands.
“We went in and got him, came out, and called the cops,” Petroski said.
GRAPHIC WARNING: On their drive home from #UFC292, Andre Petroski and his team/coaches stopped at a rest stop. While there, they caught a man inappropriately touching himself while looking at children in the bathroom. They detained the man until police arrived and arrested him… pic.twitter.com/9bycfpQOS9
— Jake Noecker (@JakeNoeckerMMA) August 21, 2023
The Man Andre Petroski Apprehended Was Arrested and Ultimately Charged with Lewdness
In a video posted by Petroski on social media. Police are already on the scene while the accused can be seen sitting on the ground. One of the responding officers calls the man away from the group to speak separately, which is where the video cuts off. Still, Petroski revealed that the accused made multiple pleas to be let go before officers arrived.
“My coach Eddy doesn’t play like that,” Petroski said. “He’s like, ‘Where’s your car at? Where’s your car at?’ He’s like, ‘I Ubered here.’ We’re like, ‘Hold up. You Ubered to a rest stop in the middle of the highway? You Ubered? With what intentions?’
“Who Ubers to a rest stop in the middle of Jersey in the middle of the highway? Then he finally admitted, ‘Oh, I have problems, blah, blah, blah.’ He admitted he comes once a week. The managers were able to go back and look at the cameras and see how often he comes.”
According to a report from MMA Junkie, New Jersey State Police arrested a 33-year-old Hispanic male. Following an investigation, the individual was charged with lewdness and released pending an appearance in court.
“Who knows how many kids go in there? Who knows if he sees some kid by himself one day what he’s going to do to that kid?” Petroski said. “… I mean, I have kids. If my kid was, God forbid, to go into that bathroom and see that, I would murder that dude.”
He continued, “Look, it’s my duty. That’s my duty as a man in this world, as a man that believes in God. I’m here to make this world a better place. You know the phrase, “The best defense against evil men is good men who are skilled at violence.’ … There’s nothing I hate more in this world than pedophiles, sexual predators, you know?”
Needless to say, it was a busy weekend for Andre Petroski. Aside from apprehending an alleged sex offender, the native from Philly improved his mixed martial arts record to 10-1. With a solid win over GM3 in Boston, Petroski will likely find himself in line for a shot at a top-15 contender in the middleweight division.
