Teens terrorize Vancouver Island neighbourhood with ‘door-kick challenge’
Police say the prank has caused thousands of dollars in damage and has led to threats against homeowners as teens seek social media clout.
- Nanaimo RCMP warned residents this week about a surge in teenagers aggressively kicking residential doors as part of an online "door-kick challenge." Gary O'Brien, an RCMP spokesperson, noted that suspects target homes in the Departure Bay neighbourhood, causing significant property damage.
- Seeking online "likes," teenagers are reportedly targeting homes to film exploits for social media clout. Police believe most suspects are teenagers attending Wellington Secondary School in Nanaimo, though they have yet to identify any by name.
- Homeowners report escalating harassment, with Marty Peters describing threats against his family and damage to his door frame. Kylie Smallenberg captured doorbell footage of hooded teens kicking her home, initially fearing "a car had hit a power pole or something."
- Police have not laid charges but are collaborating with school liaison officers to identify perpetrators. Residents are taking protective measures, with some keeping baseball bats at their front doors to deter potential intruders.
- Similar pranks have turned violent elsewhere; an 86-year-old man in Abbotsford received a one-year driving ban after hitting teens with his vehicle, and a Quebec woman was imprisoned for 27 months over a scalding-water incident.
34 Articles
34 Articles
‘What the heck’s going on?’ Bizarre social media challenge prompts warnings from police across Canada
It started as a harmless prank by teenagers but a homeowner in Nanaimo, B.C., says it escalated into property damage, harassment and threats against the lives of his family members.
The Toronto Star
Teens terrorize Vancouver Island neighbourhood with ‘door-kick challenge’
It started as a harmless prank by teenagers but a homeowner in Nanaimo, B.C., says it escalated into property damage, harassment and threats against the lives of his family members.
Teens terrorize Vancouver Island neighbourhood with 'door-kick challenge' – Energeticcity.ca
FILE — a Ring doorbell camera is seen installed outside a home in Wolcott, Conn., on July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File) It started as a harmless prank by teenagers but a homeowner in Nanaimo, B.C., says it escalated into property damage, harassment and threats against the lives of his family members. Marty Peters says his family is a victim of a social media trend that involves aggressively kicking the doors of strangers’ homes, which …
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