A new viral video shows a uniformed Long Island cop approach a group of soccer-playing kids who think they’re about to get get kicked out — before he shows them some moves instead.
Suffolk County Police Officer Kevin Martinez told The Post he was on patrol at around 8 p.m. Thursday when he spotted a group of teens playing “the beautiful game” at SSG James D. McNaughton Memorial Park in Centereach and couldn’t resist the competitive urge to jump in and lay down the law.
Martinez, a former standout Division II soccer star for the New York Institute of Technology, can be seen quickly overwhelming the teens with elite dribbling skills, making one fall with a swift ankle-breaker before nutmegging the goalie to score in another clip.
“Say I won’t get out of the car right now and score,” Martinez told his partner, who he said then dared him to walk up and challenge the teens to play.
“You can tell at first they thought they were getting kicked out,” Martinez said in an interview on Monday.
“Then I asked them, ‘who wants to 1v1,’ and their reaction was priceless, I just remember them getting super excited,” he said.
Two of the boys immediately accepted the challenge, thinking the cop would be an easy win — but little did they know they were facing a former college superstar who once led all of Suffolk County in goals scored as a senior at Bay Shore High School.
The now-viral video, which has over a million likes on Instagram, then shows the moment the teens realized the cop was coming ready to play.
“At first they didn’t think I had skills, [but] once they saw me dribble they were in awe,” Martinez said.
“They were shocked and screamed when I passed both of them,” he said.
Although Martinez cooked them both, he did give the boys credit, and said one of the kids got him back and scored against him. The officer was playing with an extra 25-30 pounds with all of his police equipment on him.
Martinez, who was once that kid practicing on the soccer field, said he never expected for the interaction to go viral, but is glad it did, so it can highlight the importance of the police engaging in positive interactions with the communities they’re meant to serve.
“When I first joined, my goal was — and still is — to change the perception some people may have of police officers,” Martinez said.
“I strive to have positive interactions that can change someone’s perspective and show them that officers are approachable and genuinely care about the community,” he added.
“Those interactions can have a domino effect, strengthening community relationships and ultimately helping build the trust necessary to prevent and solve crimes,” he said.