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Ramsey Krav Maga school teaches self-defense while riding on public transportation

At Krav Maga NJ in Ramsey, civilians of all ages are learning how to prevent, avoid and respond to real-life threats in the confined spaces of public transportation.

Naomi Yané

Aug 2, 2025, 2:34 AM

Updated 14 hr ago

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New Jerseyans are getting a lesson in public transportation self-defense.
At Krav Maga NJ in Ramsey, civilians of all ages are learning how to prevent, avoid and respond to real-life threats in the confined spaces of public transportation.
Alex Gonzalez, 10, has already learned several lifesaving skills in the 3-hour class.
"How to disarm people. How to free yourself from a choke… also how to attack somebody," Gonzalez said.
According to the Mineta Transportation Institute, the United States leads the world in attacks and fatalities on public transportation riders and operators. New Jersey Transit reported 82 assaults on bus operators between January and September of 2021 and 52 assaults on rail crews. Earlier this month, three NJ Transit passengers were assaulted with a knife on the Newark Light Rail.
Enter Krav Maga NJ. Anthony Racciatti is the head instructor at the facility and says assaults can happen any time, any place.
"People take buses and trains every day. You can’t assume attacks are going to happen in a certain spot," Rancciatti said.
The class was taught by world-renowned instructor Eyal Yanilove, who has been teaching the self-defense method for half a century and studied under the system’s founder.
The class was taught on a bus, putting students in a real-life simulation, complete with prop weapons for what instructors call reality-based self-defense.
"Krav Maga is an integrated system of self-defense combat and fighting we teach people physically, mentally and tactically to avoid, deal, prevent and de-escalate violent confrontation," Yanilove said.
Hawthorne resident Amar Mehta has been a student of Krav Maga for three years.
"You start thinking about if you have a small space, what to do and how to get out," Mehta said.
While safety comes first in a confined space, instructors say disarming an assailant is an option.
"Complying is definitely an option - sometimes it’s the best option. How to defend against a pistol threat is something very basic for us in the system," Yanilove said.
Outside of teaching the skills, it’s also about empowering students.
"One of the things I used to do is freeze, and this gets you out of that mode you don’t want to freeze. Do something, anything, and that’s what my coach has taught me to do," Mehta said.