As Baltimore erupted in protests Monday over the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after suffering a spinal injury following an arrest, one man decided to send a message through Michael Jackson’s music.

Sputnick News captured video of an unnamed Jackson impersonator dancing to “Beat It” atop a parked truck just blocks away from a police line and the burning CVS pharmacy, the Daily Dot noted. He continued dancing as people gathered around and recorded him moonwalking in the street.

Performance for the crowd #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/0N9qW299wf

— Sputnik US (@SputnikNewsUS) April 27, 2015

Others noted how the dancer’s presence helped ease the tense situation a bit.

Chaos all around him, and Michael Jackson dancer busted out the meanest moonwalk of all time #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/FcXWoM3Jns

— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) April 28, 2015

Later in the evening, the man reappeared for another round of “Beat It.” This time, NBC’s Shomari Stone got video of the routine.

Michael Jackson question. Many ask where MJ music was coming from during protest. Answer. VIDEO #BaltimoreRiots pic.twitter.com/0z5yZGfXbN

— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) April 28, 2015

TheWrap noted the parallel between the song’s lyrics and the situation unfolding in Baltimore. The video for the song, released as a single in 1983 from the “Thriller” album, focuses on a gang fight. Jackson lies in bed thinking about the violence around him before going out and breaking up the brawl.
‏

– This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.