NY Teens Arrested For Busting Fences For 'Kool-Aid Man Challenge'

Kids these days, man. They can turn anything into a bad example, even the Kool-Aid Man. All he ever did before now was refresh generations of people... and damage countless walls.

It's that last one that kids have latched onto in their unending quest for some of that sweet, sweet social media clout.

Six Long Islanders — ranging in age from 12 to 18 — have been arrested for damaging fences while taking part in the Kool-Aid Man challenge, which has become popular on TikTok.

Broken fences and a challenge with a name that invokes the name of one of Madison Avenue's greatest anthropomorphic, sugary beverage-filled creations? Take a wild guess at how this one is supposed to work.

A retired corrections officer, Charles Damiani, heard some loud noises outside on his property at around 1 in the morning. He later told NBC New York that the noises were loud and “sounded like a gun go off." He called the Suffolk County police, and a glance at some security camera footage revealed the six youngsters kicking down the fences.

Unsurprisingly Kids Who Thought Emulating The Kool-Aid Man Was A Good Idea Made A Dumb Mistake

Then, the kids made a mistake. A very big, dumb mistake: they returned to the scene of the crime... while the police were taking a statement from Damiani.

As it turns out, the group targeted four homes that night according to Suffolk County Chief of Patrol Gerard Hardy.

“They were just driving around kicking down fences. You’re 12 years old, you’re out at 3 o’clock in the morning — where are your parents?” Damiani asked.

That's a fair question.

Everyone does dumb things when they're kids. I always try to think back to what I did when I was a young lad before I criticize Gen Zers. It's a quick spin through the ol' memory banks to confirm that I never tried to emulate the Kool-Aid Man for clout. I never tried to emulate any advertising mascot for clout (not counting a brief phase involving a Mr. Peanut-style monocle in high school. I thought chicks would dig it).

I guess it's just crazy to me how despite being this dumb and destructive this "challenge" is, kids are still drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid and trying it themselves.

These six were all arrested and charged with several counts of third-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Police are also looking into other similar incidents in the area.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.