When Auditing Gets Under Your Skin: YouTuber and First Amendment Auditor Hit with Car in Panama City
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A local churchgoer has been arrested after allegedly striking a YouTube creator with his car while the creator was conducting a First Amendment audit outside a Panama City church.
Authorities identified the individual as 62-year-old Samuel Kuntz, who was taken into custody on March 3, 2026, in Panama City. Kuntz faces charges of aggravated battery following the incident outside First Baptist Church, where Marc Manchon, the creator of the “Press NH Now” YouTube channel, was filming attendees leaving a service as part of his work as a First Amendment auditor.
Police said video evidence contradicts Kuntz’s claim that Manchon jumped onto his vehicle. The footage shows the collision occurring under circumstances that prompted the battery charge.
Kuntz was held on a $20,000 bond at the Bay County Jail, which he paid the same day. His arraignment is set for April 16, 2026.
The encounter gained widespread attention after Manchon posted the video to his channel on March 4, where it quickly went viral, reaching 77,000 views by March 6.
Manchon, who recently relocated from New Hampshire, is known for conducting “First Amendment audits,” a practice in which he films public spaces to test officials’ adherence to constitutional rights. He previously made headlines in the area following a September 2025 audit at the Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center, which resulted in the arrest of a corrections officer.
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