'We don't want anybody getting hurt': Franklin PD warns of TikTok challenge startling homeowners

 

FRANKLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) — Police in Franklin are warning about a recent social media trend that's leaving some homeowners rattled.

The Franklin Police Department has received several similar reports this summer from concerned homeowners, and police have connected them to a TikTok trend.

They are worried it could lead to someone getting hurt.

"It did cause some commotion, caused a stir, people were concerned," said Gary Wallace, a community resource officer for Franklin Police Department.

Over the last few months, some Franklin residents have been startled awake by a loud bang at their door.

"People are looking at their doorbell cameras and seeing masked figures who were kicking or pounding on their door, and it frightened them, and it's in the nighttime hours," Wallace explained.

A homeowner sent us security video of exactly that happening, while they said they were feeding their infant at 2 a.m.

Another neighbor has a similar story, while home with her baby around 10 p.m. just last week.

Officer Wallace said it's called the "door-kick" or "door-knock challenge" on TikTok, and Franklin isn't the first place to see it.

"I did a brief Google search and found that this was taking place in other cities around the country over the course of the last couple years, actually," Wallace explained.

He said this is more than just an annoying prank.

"Ding-dong ditching goes back many decades. It's a tale as old as time," Wallace said. "However, people are a lot more concerned when it involves kicking or banging on the doors."

Franklin police want to make sure this "trend" doesn't get out of hand.

"We've seen in in news reports from other cities, people confronting these individuals and people getting hurt," Wallace explained. "We don't want anybody getting hurt, and we want people to feel safe in their homes."

It's a safety concern for everyone involved, and Officer Wallace said parents should talk to their kids about why it's a bad idea.

"This could result in a citation for disorderly conduct. This could result in someone getting injured, and we don't want this small thing to turn into a big thing," he said.

If this happens to you, police ask that you don't confront these individuals, and instead just report it to the police department.

Wallace said officers will be keeping an eye out in neighborhoods for this behavior.