TikTok ‘door-kicking’ prank hits Gig Harbor; PCSO warns it could turn deadly
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- PCSO said the behavior has been linked to a viral TikTok challenge in a Facebook post.
- Gig Harbor homeowner reported $1,500 to $2,000 in costs after kicks broke the door frame.
- PCSO reported several local incidents; a fatal shooting happened in Virginia in 2025
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about a potentially dangerous TikTok trend that has left a Gig Harbor homeowner with a broken door frame.
In a Facebook post, PCSO said that at 3:35 a.m. on May 9, a man walked up to the house in the 5900 block of 43rd Avenue Northwest. The man kicked the door several times, breaking the door frame, then ran off with two other people.
The homeowner told police in the body-cam footage in the post that he will have to pay $1,500 to $2,000 to repair his door.
“I heard a ‘bang, bang,’ five bangs on my front door,” the man told officers on the body-cam footage. “... I don’t care if you’re pranking or not. People die from pranks.”
Carly Cappetto, spokesperson for PCSO, said in the post the behavior has been linked to a viral challenge on TikTok, where people will run up to a door, kick it repeatedly to make it sound like a home invasion, then run away.
She told The News Tribune that so far, there have not been any deaths or serious injuries in Pierce County linked to the trend.
“We have had several other Pierce County instances that included property damage of doors, porch items and landscaping,” Cappetto wrote in a text message to The News Tribune.
In Virginia, a high school student was shot and killed by a homeowner while recording the prank on May 3, 2025. The homeowne later said he believed the teenager was trying to break into his house. A jury indicted the 27-year-old man in October for second-degree murder, malicious wounding and using a firearm in a felony offense.
On Dec. 5 2025, a 14-year-old boy in Florida kicked a door off its hinges while participating in the prank, which caused the family’s dog to run out into the street and get hit by a car. Police arrested the boy on Jan. 27 for several charges, including burglary and criminal mischief.
“Before you agree to do any sort of pranking, ask yourself these two questions: Could it possibly hurt somebody and could it possibly cause damage?” Cappetto said in the PCSO video. “If you say yes, doing the prank is probably not a good idea.”
If you have any information that could identify the suspect in the Gig Harbor case, call PCSO at 253-287-4455.
