Arizona martial arts coach accused of abusing young student — and police fear more victims

SURPRISE, Ariz. - A 30-year-old martial arts gym manager is jailed on a $150,000 bond after police say he admitted to a sexual relationship with a student that began when she was 14. Court documents show he acknowledged the risk in Instagram messages to her.

Jose Alexandro Zamora was arrested at his Litchfield Park home on Oct. 28 and booked on multiple felony charges, including sexual conduct with a minor, continuous sexual abuse of a child and child enticement. Surprise police say Zamora was a "trusted adult who served as the victim’s martial arts instructor." 

"Due to Zamora’s position of trust and access to juveniles through martial arts instruction, detectives believe there may be additional victims," police said.

‘Post nut clarity’

What we know:

The messages, which investigators obtained through search warrants, show a man who appeared well aware of the consequences. In one exchange, the girl asked Zamora whether he had "PNC," an abbreviation police note is internet slang for "post nut clarity," a sudden wave of regret some men report after sex. Zamora wrote back: "I wouldn’t call it that, I was already trynna be cautious because I knew how it could turn out. I’d say not my best idea but that’s life I guess," according to the probable cause statement. The documents do not say when that exchange took place.

In a January 2024 message, when the girl was 15 and Zamora was 27, he compared her to his former stepdaughter, who he noted was turning 15 that March. "I just happen to be really invested in a completely different person who is her same age," he wrote. "Never would I ever be doing what I’m doing, but it certainly feels different."

In another exchange, police say, Zamora told the girl he would be "much smarter, safer" and find someone legal in the future. He also told her he had deleted nude photos he had of her. The documents say he asked at one point whether he was grooming her, and she said no. In still another message, police say, he told her he thought she was 17 when they met.

That contradicts what he later told detectives. After being read his Miranda rights, Zamora said the girl was 14 and he was 27 when the relationship turned romantic in October 2023, according to the documents. He said they had sex roughly weekly from November 2023 until March 2025, often in his car or a gym work van parked outside her school. He told police he ended it because he knew it was illegal.

The backstory:

Police say the investigation began Feb. 23, when an anonymous tipster reported that a 17-year-old girl who attends Legendary Martial Arts in Surprise was having sex with the gym's 29-year-old manager. The tipster said the girl had been sexually involved with him since she was 14. Detectives identified the employee as Zamora, whom the gym’s Instagram account had congratulated in 2025 on becoming school manager. Court records list his employer as Legendary Martial Arts, where he told police he has worked for seven years.

Detectives say messages from the girl’s account also show she knew the relationship was illegal and wanted to keep it secret. In one message to a friend, police say, she described Zamora as her 27-year-old boyfriend. In an October 2025 message, which police say marked two years since the relationship began, she told him she still loved and missed him. Police say the girl’s mother told them her daughter denied the allegations and did not want to pursue the case, but detectives kept investigating and later served search warrants on the Instagram accounts anyway.

By the numbers:

Zamora faces eight felony counts: six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, plus one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, and one count of child enticement.

The other side:

FOX 10 reached out to Legendary Martial Arts in Surprise, and they gave us this comment:

"Our first concern is for the student and family involved, and for every family who trusts us with their children.

When we learned of these allegations on October 28th, we immediately removed Mr. Zamora, a manager, from our school. We are cooperating fully with the Surprise police department, and we will continue to give investigators anything they need.

We are also in the process of contacting our families directly, because they deserve to hear this from us first.

So we don’t interfere with the investigation, and out of respect for the privacy of the student involved, we can’t discuss the details of the case. 

We ask anyone with information to contact the Surprise Police Department."

What you can do:

Police are asking anyone who had a similar experience with Zamora, or who has information about the case, to call Surprise police at 623-222-4000 or 623-222-TIPS (8477) and reference incident 260201435.

What's next:

Zamora’s next court date is Nov. 3. Police say the investigation remains active.

The charges are allegations, and Zamora is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Map of Legendary Martial Arts in Surprise:

What we don't know:

Zamora has not yet been arraigned and has not entered a plea, and while he told detectives the relationship ended in March 2025, messages cited in the court documents show the two exchanging sexual messages as late as February 2026, so it’s unclear how long it actually lasted.

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