Nine Entertainment’s acting CEO, Matt Stanton, has proven that leadership extends well beyond the boardroom after his heroic actions during a shocking street brawl in Manly last week.
While dining with his wife at a restaurant near Manly Wharf on January 6, Stanton was drawn into a terrifying scene when a mob of around 40 young people descended upon a teenage boy, punching and kicking him as horrified diners watched on.
Instinct kicked in. Stanton, clad in a striped shirt and enjoying what was meant to be a quiet evening out, rushed to assist an unidentified man who was already pulling the injured teen to safety inside Fratelli Fresh restaurant.
The pair shielded the boy, with Stanton physically bracing the door as members of the mob tried to force their way inside.
“I just held the door and said, ‘No, no, you’re not coming in,’” Stanton told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The gang, undeterred, spat in Stanton’s face and attempted to shove him aside. Yet he remained firm, protecting the terrified teenager as the situation escalated.
“I could hear screaming from a lady in Fratelli Fresh telling people to get out”.
“It was quite shocking to see, quite frightening; I’ve never seen anything like it in the 15 years I’ve been going down there”.
“It was natural instinct – probably a stupid instinct as my wife told me afterward,” Stanton admitted.
Stanton, who stepped into the acting CEO role last September following Mike Sneesby’s resignation, contacted Northern Beaches police after the event, providing his account as authorities continue their investigation under Strikeforce Crookhaven.
An 18-year-old was arrested in Bonnyrigg and charged with riot and affray before being released from Fairfield Police Station under conditional bail. He will front Manly Local Court at the end of January.