ACTION hero Liam Neeson apparently gave three street punks more than they bargained for when the trio decided to attack a stray dog in front of a horrified woman.

The 61-year-old actor – who is currently wowing audiences as a tough air marshal in movie thriller Non-Stop – was jogging through Central Park in New York when he heard cries for help.

It seems that Neeson is just as much of a hero off-screen as he is when in front of the cameras.

According to reports, the three young thugs had cornered the unfortunate animal and were in the process of stoning it. A woman who witnessed them throwing rocks raised the alarm and Neeson came to the rescue.

A source told a supermarket tabloid: “Liam charged down a path and confronted three gangbanger wannabe types.

“Liam yelled that they’d better stop or he’d knock the crap out of them – but the punks just swaggered up and warned him to mind his own business. In a fury, he warned them to back off fast – or else!”

The three punks eventually fled when a passing cop approached the scene.

So far there’s been no official confirmation of the incident – but apparently the dog was fine afterwards.

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