NEW JERSEY – One year after Ali Miller stepped in to stop two brawling teens engaged in a street fight, the New Jersey Muslim man continues to be an inspiration to the young teens, who now see in him a much-needed big brother.
“Once they know that someone’s paying attention, once they know that someone loves them, once they know that people are gonna be there for them and hold them to account, you know, they’ll rise to the occasion,” Miller told CBS News.
The incident, which took place in March 2017, went viral after a video showing the street fight captured the internet’s attention.
In the video, the two young men are seen brawling in the middle of a street in Atlantic City, NJ, as their peers hit record on their phones and egg on the action.
Before things got too rough, Miller stepped in and shamed the group, later on asking Sheldon Ward and Jamar Mobley to shake hands.
“He said to us what a father should have said to us,” Jamar said.
Sheldon added, “Nobody told us to stop, or ‘no don’t fight ’em, it’s not worth it.'”
Miller insisted on brokering a truce between the two young men, refusing to leave before they shook hands.
“He was literally going to stand there, he wasn’t going to leave,” Sheldon recalled.
Ever since, both young men meet Miller at least once a week as the father-of-six tries to help kids lead better lives.
“I just hated this person. I just wanted to fight this person and now we’re calling each other brothers,” Jamar said.