TikTok challenge of violently kicking doors unnerves residents, puts police on alert

Murrieta police are warning of a new TikTok challenge that is a dangerous variation of a decades-old prank — one that police across the country are scrambling to stop.

Some teens already have been arrested. Authorities in Florida, Washington state, Texas, New Jersey and Illinois, among other locations, have investigated the unsettling action.

The challenge invites participants to bang on or kick doors in an effort to startle the residents, and then post a video online. But unlike ding-dong ditch, where a prankster knocks on the door and runs, the force in the new challenge has damaged doors and, in some cases, prompted frightened residents to grab their firearms.

Murrieta police said they were investigating what they initially believed to be attempted burglaries before they discovered the vandalisms were linked to a social media challenge.

“It might look like harmless internet fun, but it’s really vandalism that can escalate into criminal charges, injuries, or worse,” Murrieta police said.

Some victims have spoken out against the challenge.

“I thought an earthquake was hitting,” Riverside County resident Gerry Golia wrote on Facebook. “All of a sudden the loudest pounding (happened) on my front door. It was locked, but I’m surprised it didn’t break open. Thank God the door held because the outcome would not have been good.”

The Murrieta police news release, posted on Facebook, has received more than 300 comments.

“A month or so ago, this happened to us. I just assumed it was one of my kids slamming the door, but when I went to see who it was, no one was home,” Bruce Shibley wrote. “We now have a new big dog.”

Wrote Genny Olson: “This happened to us at 3 a.m. Shook us up pretty bad.”

Many of the comments were along the lines of this one from Renee Delgado.

“Raise your kids better,” Delgado implored parents.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has taken a couple of vandalism reports in the past several months.

“You put yourself in danger because someone in the house does not know what your intentions are,” sheriff’s Sgt. Gerard McCann said. “Anytime we have a community member creating a situation where they put the owner on edge and themselves in danger, it’s always a concern.”

It doesn’t take a long memory to recall the tragic consequences and the shocking reaction from a resident after a teen performed the vintage prank in southwest Riverside County.

Six boys from Temescal Valley set out to play ding-dong ditch in their neighborhood in January 2020, and they picked the home of Anurag Chandra. One boy rang the doorbell and pulled down his pants to moon anyone who was watching. The boys sped off. Chandra, enraged, climbed in his car and sped off in pursuit.

Chandra caught up to the boys, ramming the car from behind until it skidded off the road and into a tree. Daniel Hawkins, Drake Ruiz and Jacob Ivascu all 16, were killed. Joshua Ivascu, Joshua Hawkins and Sergio Campusano, ages 17, 16 and 21 at the time of the 2023 trial, were critically injured.

Chandra was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. Chandra, now 48, is serving three life sentences that do not carry the possibility of parole.