‘Door Kick Challenge’ Ends in $10,000 Damage as Teen Is Arrested After Ring Video

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in relation to the “Door Kick Challenge” after a Ring video captured the teen kicking open the front doors of a north Phoenix home, causing upwards of $10,000 in damage.

Phoenix police reported the boy was arrested Sept. 13 and booked into the Durango Juvenile Detention Facility, and investigators believe a second, unnamed juvenile was also involved.

What the Ring Footage Shows

Police told the teen and another underage suspect arrived on the scene near the home on 44th Street and Thunderbird Road Sept. 12 at around 6:30 a.m. in a stolen red Ford truck. Ring video shows the teens opening the front gate of the family home while using items to cover their faces before one kicks the door open as they leave.

“I immediately reached for that because what else are you supposed to do when you think someone is in your home?” said a woman inside the house at the time, who asked not to be identified, referring to the gun she keeps for that very reason.

Custom Doors, Costly Repairs

The family said the doors were custom-built and will have to be completely remade, costing the couple roughly $10,000.

That’s a steep price to pay for a viral challenge gone wrong. The homeowners originally released the footage publicly in hopes that the community might help identify who was responsible, and it seems the action did pay off.

How Investigators Tracked Him Down

A tip from Silent Witness, the anonymous crime-reporting line police have directed the community to, led detectives to the 14-year-old, and they were also able to tie the red truck seen in the footage to one reported stolen out of Scottsdale, and the teen to evidence connecting him to a second stolen vehicle.

He’s now facing one count of criminal damage and one count of unlawful transportation. Since the boy is a juvenile, police have chosen not to release his name, and the second boy seen in the video has yet to be identified.

Why Police Are Calling This a Trend, Not a One-Off

Phoenix police have said the incident relates to a pattern they began flagging days earlier, the “Door Kick Challenge,” wherein people record and post themselves force kicking residential doors and have warned that it “can cause property damage, frighten families, escalate confrontations, and lead to criminal charges including disorderly conduct, criminal damage, or trespassing.”

Police have also highlighted the danger of the challenge isn’t limited to property damage or trespassing; the challenge can lead to homeowners calling 911 if they begin to believe a break-in is occurring or think someone in the home may have gone missing, causing potentially life-threatening risks for both parties that go well beyond the front door.

This isn’t the first time the challenge has had real-world consequences. A similar situation in Elk Grove, California, led to arrests and property damage last fall, and police in other cities have reported similar incidents related to the same trend.

For Phoenix investigators, the case was more of a test of the quickness with which they can trace a viral prank back to the guilty party, and it seems the community’s efforts bore fruit. From the Sept. 12 incident to an arrest on Sept. 13 took roughly 24 hours.

“This is the result of strong collaboration between multiple agencies and investigative units, resulting in the swift identification and arrest of the subject,” said a Phoenix police spokesperson.

Police are still investigating other reports of door kickings in the area and are reminding parents again to speak with their kids about what participating in these trends can actually cost legally and financially.

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