SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – School is out, and already residents across Central Florida are sending messages to the News 6 Neighborhood Network about kids getting into trouble — and getting caught on camera.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office says deputies arrested two teens after the pair were caught on a security camera kicking a front door on in the English Estates neighborhood in Maitland.
It happened before 9:00 p.m. Wednesday. The homeowner said a group of kids were walking in the neighborhood, and two of them walked straight up to his front door.
“It was just one swift kick,” the homeowner said. “They turned around and did a backwards kick.”
[RELATED: Central Florida deputy consoles arrested 12-year-old after door-kick challenge]
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, shared his security footage with News 6. He said the incident rattled his household.
“It was a very loud bang. It was extremely startling. We were just getting ready for bed. We had no idea what was going on,” he said.
The family first realized something was wrong when their phones buzzed with a security alert.
“We noticed a notification on our phones that said there was motion at our front door. So, we went to check on the front door and check the videos, and we saw these kids coming to do this,” he said.
He added that the timing made it even more unsettling.
“I can only imagine if we had been sitting in the living room — that would have been even more jarring,” he said.
According to a report from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office arrest obtained by News 6, the door sustained approximately $300 in damages.
“You can see the dirt from it and everything, and on this side, you can see the same thing,” the homeowner said as he showed News 6 the marks left behind. “Thankfully this is a newer door, and it’s secure and they weren’t able to push through it.”
According to the arrest report, the kids ran to a nearby house after the incident. When deputies followed up and asked one boy if he wanted to tell his father why they were there, the boy said they were “ding-dong ditching.”
He was arrested and charged with criminal mischief — damage to property valued between $200 and $1,000, a misdemeanor under Florida law. He was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. The deputy recommended him for the civil citation program.
The homeowner says the so-called prank is no laughing matter — and the consequences could be far more serious than an arrest.
“You don’t know if it’s a prank or if you are getting robbed, right?” he said. “You may react in a way that could seriously harm somebody else, right? Over a prank. It could even cause somebody to lose their life.”
He says the lack of accountability online is making the problem worse.
“The community needs to be aware of this — or the parents need to be aware of what the kids are doing. It seems like there have been little consequences and social media has made things so unlikely that you have consequences for things, and you get a lot of likes and a lot of reaction,” he said.
“It could end badly. Someone could get badly hurt. It is never a good idea to kick somebody’s door. Just don’t do it,” he added.
Earlier this month, three teenagers were caught in Deltona participating in the viral door-kicking challenge circulating on social media. The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old are facing charges for kicking the doors, while the third faces charges for acting as an accomplice.
The sheriff said more than a dozen teens have been caught kicking doors in Volusia County so far this year.
News 6 has also covered cases in Orange County, where the sheriff’s office said they want young people to know that this trend could land them in real trouble.