E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSNEW YORK -- It was on a Thursday night in March that Charles Sonder, 24, and a friend got on an uptown train to meet friends for drinks, grabbing some cheddar Pringles and a bag of Gummi bears to share for sustenance.
During the next few minutes, as the train rolled through darkness toward its next stop, Sonder would go from being a Brooklyn architect who wrestled in high school, to "Snackman," New York's newest subway hero.
Sonder's rise happened thanks to a YouTube clip posted on April 2 that has garnered more than 1 million views so far and a fair amount of coverage in local media, including even The New York Times.
So what happened?
On the train, a fight between a man and a woman broke out; curses were uttered, and punches and kicks were thrown. The woman kicked first, but then the man kicked her back.
At that moment, Sonder moved toward the door of the train car, where the man was standing, and parked himself there. No words were spoken. Sonder just stood there, a barrier between the fighting couple, calmly munching on his chips as a cell phone camera captured the entire scene.
"I decided to break up the fight when I saw the man kick back at the woman," Sonder, an all-state wrestler in high school in Rhode Island, told The Providence Journal. He told the paper he didn't feel threatened by either of the two people.
The response has been huge. The Web came up with the nickname "Snackman," and, according to the New York Times, Sonder first heard about it when his mother texted him "Hey Snackman" one day.
Sonder told DNAinfo.com, a local news site, he's received about 50 messages — including marriage proposals.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
It was no Charles Sonder; it was Cory Booker in disguise!
No I want cheesy pringles! Darnit!
This guy is extremely lucky he dd not wind up a dead statistic instead of a "hero." Getting in the middle of a dispute like this is not a very wise move, particularly not in a NY subway. He is very lucky he did not get attacked by one of the parties involved in the altercation. To say something or to make it known you are videoing the exchange is one thing, to step in the middle of it is something else.
JS you spineless jackwagon. Although I think the man was just defending himself from the woman, it wouldn't take much for it to get out of hand real quick. How that guy interpreted, calmly and not even acknowledging the confrontation, was very admirable. Not going to call him a hero, but his actions were admirable. We need more people like that, instead of ones that would let someone get beat down instead of putting themselves out there to assist.
I'm with r00s7a, that's a spineless sentiment JS. He didn't confront or even acknowledge their presence he passively stood between them having a snack. Good for him!
Snackman was cool, calm, collected. He didn't need to use a gun or his fists. He used his head. Pringles worked just fine. I would hope Al Sharpton would congratulate him.
I was expecting Jared. :)
Tsk tsk, manners, Snackman. It's rather crass to wipe one's fingers on one's own jacket while snacking.
safer then useing someone else's tho..............:)
In Florida that would be a stand your ground situation and would have gotten him killed.
cant wait to see how the obsessed people on here turn this article into a political, nra. treyvon, or other pet peeve, nonsensical line of B.S. go for it folks i just know you can do it...................:)
IA.ScooterTramp - We could just go ahead and hit for the cycle. Here we go:
1) It's Obama's fault the fight started.
2) Will Snackman's "pretend god" save him now?
3) Of course there are fights when NYC's full of immigrants/non-whites!
4) You want to kick a lady? How 'bout you get kicked to death yourself, buddy?
So there we have it: the Obama-blamer, the proselytizing atheist, the racist, and the creatively-kill-somebody-to-solve-the-problem guy.
good job....so far, but ya just know it will get twisted by many who will not see it as any other thing then what they wish, its sad in a way i suppose, yet entertaining.
Good job, zupercram, but you forgot a few:
The feminist: "It's all his fault, even if she kicked him first."
The (supposedly) dis-interested observer: "It's between them, and none of your business."
I-want-the government-to-save-everyone-from-themselves: "If feet were banned, this never would have happened in the first place."
The political junkie of either party: "After the election this will never happen again."
Good seed, IA.ScooterTramp. Where's Sirlafalot now that we need him?
$250 fine for eating in the subway. I mean, the law is the law, right?
are you sh-ttin me? wow... food cops.....course those"confiscated" goods would go a long way towards explaining the obese cops............
I thinks its to control vermin and pests actually...
2 AND 4 legged? After all, it IS New York.
This thread shows a lot of promise and I needed a good laugh today.
When i think of "Subway Hero" i think of the character "Dennis" from 30 Rock.
As for Mr. Sonder... kudos (or pringles?) to him for being a real man. I am male and i find it completely unacceptable for a man to hit (or kick, etc) a woman. Even if she attacks first.
His actions kept both people from being hurt further at the time, and the cameraman stating he has the event on camera which hopefully prevented the man involved from doing anything else.
Am I wrong for being disappointed that this guy wasn't handing out actual snacks?
That was my impression too - I was thinking this was a story about someone feeding homeless subway dwellers.
I remember once in high school, a substitute was in for my Chemistry teacher, so obviously the class was gabbing away.
At one point while I was talking with a friend, the substitute simply stood up and stood between us. Never once told us to be quiet, she simply stood between us. I couldn't bring myself to lean back or forward to finish the conversation or anything. The mind is incredibly powerful, but also incredibly weak to mental barriers such as an interruption- Especially if that interruption is an incredibly calm, incredibly well meaning person. Words are unnecessary, because they can only be seen as an affront in this situation.
i remember once in band camp....................:)
ahh your bulls###ing me now. you were never in band camp.
Love the approach, although it would seam more heroic if he decked the dude for kicking a woman...
From the look of it the woman was the aggressor. Of course if he decked her ass he'd be hauled away for assault though.
"Equal" rights yo.
i'm a woman, and at first the fact that she was the aggressor made me sympathize with the guy... but... the fact that she was screaming "don't follow me" repeatedly makes me think there is some backstory that may have justified the attack. My auntie was once in Penn Station when I guy came up behind her on the escalator and started whispering to her that he had a knife and was going to cut her. I don't think anyone would have blamed her for taking the initiative to go on the offensive there.
He needs to keep his Fricking nose out of other peoples business!
Yea! When we see people beating the sh*t out of each other we shouldn't try and stop it!
/sarcasm
You're right, ERRICO.
Last night, I heard my neighbor beating his wife and I thought to myself, "Hambone, you need to keep your Fricking nose out of other peoples [sic] business!"
Then I called the police. Oops, I guess I'm just nosy.
Woman kicks man, Snackman does nothing.
Man returns blow to woman, Snackman has his jimmies rustled so he feels the need to break up the fight.
He should have tried to break it up at the beginning. Does he think all women need protecting? What a misogynist.
Maybe he was protecting the dude.
At least he did something ....
Not much ....
But something ....
A "HERO" ....
I don't think so ....
No need for cowboy tactics. He just stepped between them munching on chips. Kinda cool.
Having grown up in Brooklyn I would say that this guy is very lucky and extremely naive. He could very have been attacked from behind by the male or even the female who seemed to be completely out of control. Many people have gotten killed or maimed for just happening to be in the wrong place or near unsavory characters like that. My advice don't press your luck go to church and thank God u are still in one piece. You need to get some street smarts buddy if your are going to stay and survive in Brooklyn!!!
marry me
send pic.........................:)
Yeah, under"Stand your ground" either the man or woman could have
"felt" they were being threatened, pulled out their Glock, and shot the
Snackman dead before calmly walking away leaving blood, and Pringles scattered
on the floor of the subway car.
"Blood and Pringles". Great book or movie title.
I am betting he was protecting the guy from doing anything stupid. The woman needed to be stopped somehow, and if he (Snack man) had touched her all hell would have broken loose, and it would have become a hate crime.
no comments about the woman who stepped in and told the guy to get off the train at the next stop?
I agree - what about the woman who stood up to the guy, and the woman for that matter. She was telling him to get off the train and stop following the woman and telling her to sit down. I think she gets some credit for stepping in too.
dick dong?(great name BTW and tells us a lot) and Errico--have you guys ever thought of counseling considering the way you focus on teenage girls and their pubescence traits. Are you afid to focus on an adult woman!!!? I hope the pediophile cops are listening to this, but am surprised your vulgarity wasn't collapsed to protect us all -- and the teenage girl --from your evil and ugliniess.
never bring a snack to a punching/kicking fight on the train.
Perhaps you're all misinterpreting this situation. Maybe he was just an oblivious glutton?;)
It wasn't gluttony... it was the munchies!
good job but just because she is a woman doesn't give her the right to hit or kick him she is wrong also
No one said the woman was right. It was obvious both of those idiots were wrong.
I like this video. Great way to be calm and diffuse a situation! Way to go, Snackman!
It's good to see someone take a proactive approach instead of just standing by and letting it happen.