A New Jersey homeowner was left with $700 worth of damage — and nearly a heart attack — after masked pranksters stomped on her front door as part of a twisted TikTok challenge cops warn could have fatal consequences.
The so-called “door-kicking” challenge has inspired groups of teens across the country to kick the front doors of strangers’ homes as hard as possible before running off while filming the prank for views. Oftentimes, the teens cover their faces and strike late at night.
But the social media trend is costly, criminal and could be deadly, police agencies around the US have warned.
In the Garden State, East Orange police issued a recent warning to the public on Saturday, alerting them of “door-kicking” incidents in the area.
“The ‘door-kicking challenge’ is not just a harmless trend,” the police department said. “Videos on TikTok suggest this challenge is happening in cities across the country, and it’s a dangerous activity that can lead to significant property damage and personal injury.”
The prank is “a serious misdemeanor crime and can lead to jail time and/or fines,” the warning added.
One homeowner who was targeted said the loud banging was terrifying.
“My dog starts running downstairs because he hears a banging sound that’s insanely loud,” East Orange resident Amanda Gross told ABC7.
The social media prank caused hundreds of dollars in property damage.
“To have my mom spend an extra $700 because it was a challenge … what was the challenge? To scare us to death? Because that’s pretty pathetic,” she said.
But the potential consequences can be even worse for the pranksters than the victims, authorities said.
“For our residents and homeowners, you know it can frighten them, but for those who are participating, it could be lethal or deadly for them as well,” a law enforcement officer told the local news station.
Many homeowners are unaware of the TikTok challenge — which first went viral in 2021 — and mistake the pranksters for actual burglars.
When the risky stunt first emerged, Jennifer Pritchard, of the Petaluma Police Department in California, said that people unfamiliar with social media trends could interpret the prank as “a real life or death situation.”
“You don’t know what ways they’ll protect that could cause real, real harm,” she said at the time. “When people think their home or their family is threatened, they are going to give an equal response to protect their property or family.”
Orange County police are encouraging any victims or witnesses to the “door-kicking” pranks to contact its officers.