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'Kool-Aid Man Challenge' leads to arrest of 4 juveniles in northwest Indiana

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published  October 16, 2023 3:04pm CDT
St. John
FOX 32 Chicago

Teens running through fences in 'Kool-Aid man' challenge

Homeowners are reporting damaged fences because of the "Kool-Aid man" challenge.

ST. JOHN, Ind. - The dangerous, viral social media trend the "Kool-Aid Man Challenge" has struck again in northwest Indiana, as four juveniles were taken into custody on Sunday.

Teens are apparently imitating the act of the Kool-Aid man, who would break through walls, fences and ceilings and damage property. It's a trend that cooled off for a while, but has once again picked up steam in the Chicagoland area.

On Sunday, around 1:20 a.m., police in St. John, Indiana, responded to the 12000 block of W. 103rd Court after a caller reported seeing several young people break her neighbor's fence.

When officers arrived at the scene, they observed six panels broken out of the victim's PVC fence, police said.

Uising K9s, police were able to track the suspects to a home in the 12000 block of Hedwig Dr. There, four boys – two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds – were taken into custody. They were later released to the custody of their parents.

Police say it was agreed that charges would not be filed as long as repairs were done to the victim's fence.

Also on Sunday, around 8:15 a.m., police responded to the 10700 block of Manor Dr. where a homeowner reported that 10 to 15 feet of her PVC fence was damaged. The homeowner estimated damages to be about $3,000.

In addition, police also spotted another fence damaged in the 10500 block of Maloian Dr. That homeowner estimated about $5,000 in damages.

The investigations remain ongoing.

Knocking down someone's fence intentionally could come with charges and a lawsuit.

If the act is committed in Illinois, legal analyst Karen Conti says the parents can be sued.

"The parents are responsible under the Parental Responsibility Act in Illinois, up to $20,000 in damages and you would bring a lawsuit and you would proceed and show that you have this damage and what it took to fix it and make it better. You would also be entitled to attorney fees in pursuing that," said Conti.

If found guilty of trespassing and criminal defacement of property, that could mean more than a year behind bars.