Thanksgiving done right: Pastor outwrestles axe-wielding burglar in US

'I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way, and he ran and I grabbed a hold of him and we ended up wrestling in the parking lot of the church,' the pastor said.

It was far from a usual Thanksgiving day for California pastor Nick Neves. On November 28 this year, when the whole of North America was busy celebrating Thanksgiving with their family and friends, Neves - pastor of First Family Church in Antioch in US' California - found himself confronting a burglar, who had broken into the church using an axe.

However, the burglar quickly figured out that Nick Neves was not your typical pastor. Neves, well-trained in mixed martial arts (MMA) and with a background in jiu-jitsu, went toe-to-toe with the burglar and ultimately outwrestled him after 12 to 15 minutes of tussle, according to a report by NBC News. Soon after, the Antioch police showed up and took custody of the burglar.

Highlighting the courage of Neves in a post on Facebook, the Antioch Police Department said, "When the pastor at First Family Church on Contra Loma responded to check an alarm in the early hours of Thanksgiving he was not expecting to confront a burglar, but that’s what happened. When the burglar saw his wicked deeds had been discovered he decided to fight with the pastor instead of repent. What he did not know was the pastor would win this battle of good and evil and he held down the perp until APD arrived and placed the man in custody."

"We are thankful today that the pastor was uninjured during this incident and hopeful that with amazing community members like we have been highlighting lately, we can turn the tide on crime in our city," the post further read.

“I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way, and he ran and I grabbed a hold of him and we ended up wrestling in the parking lot of the church,” Neves was quoted as saying by NBC News.

“I like to stay fit, and I studied in some jujitsu and kickboxing and I have a mixed martial arts background. So it was very helpful to be able to grapple with this gentleman without having to do much harm to him,” he added.