5 Sacramento-area teens arrested for ‘door kick challenge,’ cops say. What is it?

Teenagers participating in a door-kicking challenge popularized on TikTok and other social media platforms have caused hundreds of dollars of damage in the Sacramento area, according to police.

Officers with the Elk Grove Police Department have encountered at least eight cases of “kids kicking the front doors of strangers’ homes causing damage” over the past month, the agency said in a Monday, Nov. 17, post to Facebook.

Five “youngsters” have been arrested in connection to the so-called “door kick challenge,” police said, including two 13-year-olds accused of causing more than $680 in damage.

The teens were taken in custody on Friday, Nov. 14, police said.

A video shared by police shows two masked youths running up to a door, kicking it with their feet and then fleeing.

“It sounds like someone is kicking down your door to try and hurt your family,” Sgt. Jason Jimenez of the Elk Grove Police Department told KOVR-TV.

“Somebody could come out with a gun, and you could never know, these kids could be dead just for a stupid prank,” resident Ronnie Monroe, whose garage door was damaged in one incident, told the television station.

What is ‘door kick challenge’ on social media?

The “door kick challenge” challenge, which first became popular on TikTok and other social media platforms round 2021, involves pounding or kicking on a stranger’s front door — often to the beat of Kesha’s 2012 song “Die Young,” before running away, McClatchy News previously reported.

The challenge apparently originated in college residence halls before spreading to communities across the United States.

Police: Viral prank can have ‘serious consequences’

”While trends like this may seem like harmless fun, they can have serious consequences,” Elk Grove police said in the Facebook post.

“Talking with your children about safety, respect for others’ property, and making good choices helps keep everyone safe and build a stronger community,” police said.

Sacramento-area residents react to arrests

On social media, community members reacted to news of the arrests with confusion and concern.

“They’re gonna end up kicking on the wrong door and then the parents are gonna be asking why?” one Facebook user wrote in a comment on the Elk Grove Police Department’s post.

“What ever happened to good ole ding ding ditching?” another commenter asked.

“The way people are all wound up and on edge nowadays could result in these pranksters getting shot or ending up dead over what they think is all fun and games,” a Facebook user wrote.

‘Unsafe, illegal’ trend reported across California

Law enforcement agencies across California have issued warnings about the door-kicking challenge.

The Chico Police Department also posted a warning about the viral trend on Facebook on Monday, Nov. 17.

“This so-called ‘challenge’ is not just a prank,” Chico police said in the post. “It’s unsafe, illegal and can lead to serious consequences for both the person doing it and those targeted.”

“TikTok clout fades, but criminal records stick around,” the law enforcement agency said. “Yeah, it might seem funny online. But in real life?”

“Some stupid boys did this to us last month and walked away limping,” a Facebook user read a comment on the Chico Police Department post. “Metal doors win every time.”

Police in Petaluma warned about the challenge in November 2021, saying it has raised “realistic safety concerns.”

The Eureka Police Department called the challenge “foolish and dangerous” in April 2024, following an incident in which three youths pounded on a door and then ran away.

In an August Instagram post, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office warned that “what may seem like a joke online can lead to lasting consequences in real life.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 6:00 AM.