Reacher star Alan Ritchson caught on video allegedly punching neighbour

Alan Ritchson, the American star best known for his lead role in the popular action series Reacher, has been filmed allegedly assaulting a neighbour in the presence of the actor’s children.

In a video obtained by this masthead on Tuesday, the 43-year-old actor was seen punching a man in the head four times in what looked like a suburban Tennessee neighbourhood. Two children, reported by TMZ to be Ritchson’s, sat on motorbikes nearby and watched the incident play out.

The man being hit was crouched down on a front lawn while seemingly trying to shield his face. He eventually crawled away and managed to stand up, at which time Ritchson returned to his motorbike.

Following the incident, alleged victim Ronnie Taylor spoke to TMZ, the outlet that first obtained the video. He claimed the actor had been riding his motorbike through the suburb at “excessive speeds” over the weekend. Taylor said he eventually allegedly confronted Ritchson about his safety concerns, which allegedly sparked the altercation.

In photos obtained by the tabloid, Taylor can be seen with visible facial bruising and swelling.

Ritchson’s representatives have been contacted for comment.

However, other sources close to Ritchson claimed Taylor allegedly “initiated and instigated” the entire incident. The sources told TMZ that Taylor was allegedly behaving in an “aggressive manner”, claiming he pushed the actor off his motorbike twice before the video-recorded altercation.

Ritchson allegedly sustained minor injuries as a result of falling off his bike, including cuts and bruises. There have so far been no arrests, and Ritchson has reportedly been cooperative with the police, per TMZ.

The action star arrived in Queensland in January to work on an untitled Patrick Hughes-directed film about decorated Navy SEAL hero Mike Thornton. He has previously travelled to Australia to work on other films like the Netflix hit War Machine, which topped Netflix charts around the world earlier this year.

Ritchson is best known for playing the titular role in the hit Prime Video series Reacher. Based on Lee Child’s novels, the show follows Jack Reacher, a former US Army military police officer turned lone-wolf drifter. He wanders the US investigating dangerous conspiracies, seeking vigilante justice, and cracking down on small-town corruption.

The show has run for three seasons, with a fourth currently in production. It has become one of Prime Video’s biggest hits. In fact, season three became the most-watched returning season ever on the platform, attracting 54.6 million viewers in its first 19 days in early 2025.

It isn’t the first of Child’s adaptations – Tom Cruise took on the lead role in the 2012 film Jack Reacher. However, fans of the source material have generally praised Ritchson’s depiction of the former military officer more, given his larger stature and impressive physical performance.

Ritchson is also recognised for his roles as Aimes on Fast X, Hank Hall/Hawk on DC Universe’s Titans, and as Raphael in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot films. The actor also appeared in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as Gloss.

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