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Tim Kicha, a member of the Felician College men’s cross country team, recently found himself on the ABC television show “20/20” after doing a good deed. The sophomore, wearing a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference cross-country t-shirt, appeared on “What Would You Do,” a hidden camera, ethical dilemma segment. The show creates real-life situations using actors to capture how people react to staged events and scenarios. In the case of Kicha, an All-Conference runner, he intervened when he saw a man start to get physical with a female

Kicha and ABC's John Quinones

The theme of the segment, which is hosted by John Quinones of ABC News, was ‘Teen Couple Fights, Would You Intervene?’ That was exactly the scene that Kicha encountered when he went for a run in Bergen County’s  Saddle River County Park last fall.  With more than six miles of paths and a picturesque lake, the park is a beacon for runners, bicyclists and families.

“I had to go for a run that day because I am a member of the Felician cross country team, “said Kicha.  He began running around a small lake and noticed a couple sitting on a bench arguing.

The couple’s argument escalated, the woman began crying and her companion looked ready to strike her.   People stopped to watch but no one interfered.

“I passed them once and saw they were arguing and then I passed them again and now he was choking her,” recalled the 19-year-old Saddle Brook, N.J., resident.  “I didn’t think that I was going to walk right up but then I found myself pushing him out of the way and asking him what was going on.”

As Kicha, a Criminal Justice major who wants to be a state trooper or criminal investigator, took stock of the situation he realized that the man might have a weapon, but that did not stop him from trying to help the woman.  “I knew that something could happen to me but I also thought I could defend myself better than she could,” he said.

“I did not want to fight so I kept a very calm voice and tried to understand the situation,” recalled Kicha.  “He was really riled up, really wired up, but I stayed between him and the girl and tried to diffuse the situation.”

After a while, the man agreed to leave and only then did other people seem willing to get involved.  “A woman offered to call the police and originally I said no, because the man said he would leave,” said Kicha.  “But he was not leaving so I told the woman to call the cops.”

At that moment, the man left and Quinones appeared with a camera. Kicha is wearing his CACC Cross Country t-shirt during the segment, which features the CACC logo and the NCAA Division II logo on the back. The shirts are given to all student-athletes who appear in CACC Tournament events throughout the year. The t-shirts are purchased by the conference as part of a Division II program.

“It was so unbelievable,” said Kicha  “I had seen the show before, but it was so unbelievable that this might not be real. It felt incredible.  I had so much adrenaline pumping that I don’t even remember what I said to John Quinones.”

The reporter told Kicha that 42 minutes passed before anyone interfered in the fight.

“He asked about my upbringing and family,” said Kicha.  “So I told him my mom always taught me to respect women, and the woman could not defend herself so I had to.”

After it was all over, Kicha just continued his run.