It felt less like a conventional town hall meeting and more akin to a kung fu spectacle.
A candidate for local office has captured attention with an unusual protest during a township meeting this week. Clad in martial arts attire, he executed a series of flying kicks and punched through several of his own protest placards.
The individual, known from previous dramatic displays as Will Thilly, is an independent contender for the Cranford Township Committee in New Jersey. He has been vocally opposing the local mayor over issues such as taxes, development policies, and community cohesion.
In a dramatic performance, independent candidate Will Thilly showcased his kung fu skills during a Cranford Township Committee meeting in New Jersey, energetically kicking through protest signs as part of a planned demonstration.
About 45 minutes into the live-streamed meeting, Thilly stepped up to the podium dressed in blue martial arts gear, complete with a yellow belt and black headband, and started clapping.
He then burst into a rendition of “Eye of the Tiger,” encouraging the perplexed audience to sing along with him.
That’s when two helpers on either side of the floor unfurl a sign reading “Unfair Taxes,” and Thilly proceeds to kung fu kick through it. One man in the crowd can be seen laughing, another man holds his head in his hands, while a despondent elderly couple gets up and leaves.
But Thilly and his crew weren’t finished here.
His pals unfurl three other signs reading, “Closing Our Pools,” “Overdevelopment,” and “Divisiveness,” with Thilly kung fu kicking through each of them.
The two men then unfurl another sign reading “Let Love Rule,” which was also adorned with love hearts.
“Mr. Thilly, please address your comments to the Township Committee,” Mayor Terrence Curran can be heard saying.
Unfazed, Thilly then says, “This is love.” He walks toward it and the two men embrace him, wrapping him in the sign.
Independent candidate Will Thilly performs a kung fu chop during a Cranford Township Committee meeting in Cranford, N.J. (CranfordTV35)
Moments later, Thilly took the microphone and aired his grievances to the mayor, accusing him and the township committee of mishandling a controversial 30-year PILOT tax-exemption deal for a 250-unit apartment complex.
“You also voted for the 30-year tax exemption and PILOT at 750 Walnut on October 8 last year. Then this July, you said you never voted for that deal, that I was lying,” Thilly said.
“The fact that you, our mayor, cannot remember that you voted for the single largest financial deal and loss in our town history is grounds for that agreement’s annulment… This is the real reason our taxes are going up so much.”
He alleged that the agreement costs the town millions in lost revenue and contributes to rising property taxes, claiming officials have “censored” meetings and canceled a candidates’ debate “for the first time in history.”
Fox News Digital requested comment from Curran but did not immediately receive a response.
Thilly isn’t new to theatrics. Last month, a video of the independent candidate breakdancing at another meeting went viral, racking up more than 1.6 million views, per CBS News New York on Sept. 4.
Independent candidate Will Thilly gestures toward a banner reading “Let Love Rule” during a Cranford Township Committee meeting in Cranford, N.J., on Oct. 21, 2025. Thilly, dressed in martial arts gear, staged a kung fu–themed protest criticizing local taxes and development. (CranfordTV35)
In that appearance, Thilly moonwalked across the floor and performed a backspin before using his allotted five minutes to complain about rising taxes, according to CBS News New York.
“We were told the referendum was gonna bring it up for an average household about $400, I think, and mine went up like 900 bucks,” Thilly said, per the outlet.
After his speech, he then moonwalked out.
Curran dismissed that stunt as “completely a distraction,” per CBS.
