Two teens arrested after door-kicking prank in Maitland neighborhood

A hard kick to a front door in Maitland turned a late-night prank into a criminal case after security video captured two teens at a home in the English Estates neighborhood before 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2026. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said the family first realized something was wrong when their phones lit up with a motion alert.

The homeowner said the blow startled the family while they were getting ready for bed. The door sustained about $300 in damage, and the suspects allegedly ran to a nearby house afterward. One boy later told deputies they were “ding-dong ditching,” but the homeowner said the joke was not funny and that the timing made it especially unsettling.

That reaction reflects the danger behind a stunt that can look harmless on a social-media feed and feel like a break-in at the front door. The family said they initially had no idea what was happening, and if they had been sitting in the living room or reacting in the dark, the encounter could have escalated fast. A loud bang, a frightened resident and a mistaken assumption about a burglary can turn a juvenile prank into a much more serious confrontation.

One of the teens was arrested and charged with criminal mischief for property damage between $200 and $1,000, a misdemeanor under Florida law. He was transported to the Seminole County Juvenile Assessment Center, and the deputy recommended civil citation handling. The case shows how a front-door prank can carry real legal consequences once property is damaged and residents are put in fear.

The warning for Seminole County comes as school lets out and deputies across Central Florida say kids are already getting into trouble and getting caught on camera. In Volusia County, deputies said two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old were identified on surveillance footage in a Deltona door-kicking incident. In that case, one of the 13-year-olds told deputies the group had been kicked out of a church before deciding to try the challenge.

Volusia County also arrested a 14-year-old in January 2026 in connection with a December 2025 door-kicking prank in Deltona that ended with a family’s 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Spookie, dead after escaping from the home. Law enforcement has warned that the trend has led to felony charges, property damage and close calls with armed homeowners, a risk that now hangs over any neighborhood where kids think a front-door stunt is only a joke.