Teens target homes in TikTok ding-dong ditch prank
A nationwide "ding-dong ditch" social media challenge has made its way to Louisville.
By Alexis Mathews
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — A nationwide “ding-dong ditch” social media challenge that turned deadly in one state over the weekend has made its way to Louisville.
Resident Christine Cox watched surveillance video of a rowdy group of around 200 teens leaving a house party in Douglass Hills Estates late Sunday.
They’re seen running through yards, screaming and cursing, and some went to different homes, including Cox’s, carrying out the viral TikTok door-kick challenge, an obnoxious version of ding-dong ditch.
“They just sounded so agitated and angry,” said Cox. “I think an angry mob has been terrifying all throughout history. So, it’s even worse when it’s in your neighborhood.”
The teens were caught on home surveillance violently kicking and banging on doors.
“They ran up to our door and they started kicking it and pounding it with their fists and, I was absolutely terrified,” she said. “I couldn’t jump out of bed quick enough to get downstairs because my young daughters are sleeping upstairs. My husband started heading towards the main road and, at the bottom of the hill, noticed that there was a huge crowd of people and immediately turned around and sprinted back up the hill.”
In addition to sheer panic, the frame of their screen door is now bent, and the side window is shattered. Both are temporarily covered with tape.
“For five seconds of clout on the internet, I was absolutely shocked and did not expect our property to be a target,” said Cox. “I think it was wrong place, wrong time, but it still left us with probably $1,000 in damage.”
Another concern for Cox is how dangerous these trends can be.
In Houston, the prank turned deadly Sunday after a homeowner shot and killed an 11-year-old boy. In Louisville’s Hikes Point area earlier this year, another child survived being shot in the arm while ding-dong-ditching.
He was charged with criminal mischief, and officials ruled the shooting was justified.
“It is absolutely terrible for me to think about the two families in Houston whose lives are never going to be the same after what happened over a silly trend,” said Cox. “You just never know if you’re going to knock on the wrong door, and I would hate to see more of this happen. So, I hope that teenagers can heed this warning and really just think through their actions.”
LMPD officers, the department’s helicopter, and Middletown police were called out for that loud party.
One person was detained and charged with drug possession.
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