6 days ago
Doors getting kicked in during new 'ding dong ditch' prank, NKY police say
Police in Northern Kentucky are investigating four reports of kids kicking in homeowners' doors during a new social media variation of the "ding dong ditch" prank.
The twist is that instead of just knocking on the door and running away, some pranksters are completely destroying the victim's front doorway, police said.
On social media, Florence police called for parents and guardians to keep an eye on their children's whereabouts to prevent a prank from turning into a tragedy.
"Being awoken at 3 a.m. by someone forcefully kicking a front door could lead a homeowner to believe a break-in is occurring, potentially prompting them to take defensive action," the department said in a June 2 Facebook post.
Police Detective Todd Manning told The Enquirer the department has also seen similar reports from residents across other cities in Kenton and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky.
Florence homeowner Sherri Souder says her home was hit by the social media trend during this past Memorial Day weekend, according to Enquirer media partner Fox 19.
Souder said she woke up before midnight thinking she heard an explosion, only to check her cameras and see a kid kicking in her garage door.
"Ding dong ditch" pranks have long been around and there are countless examples of modern spins across TikTok and other social media platforms. However, it's recently received more attention due to a deadly incident in May.
Just a month ago in Virginia, a teenager was allegedly shot and killed by a homeowner while filming TikTok "ding dong ditch" prank videos with friends. One of the teen's friends was also shot and treated for minor injuries. The teens told police they were shot while running to hide after knocking on a door.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 4 NKY homes hit by new TikTok twist of 'ding dong ditch' prank
