Two teenagers were filmed wearing tactical vests and appearing to carry rifles while approaching homes in a Delaware neighborhood late Friday night, but police stated on Monday that it was just a prank.
The boys, aged 16 and 17, were identified on Sunday after New Castle County police received tips that led to their discovery following incidents in the Mallard Pointe area.
According to Sgt. Andrea Botterbusch from the New Castle County Police Department, officers arrested the boys on Sunday evening.
During the investigation, authorities executed a search warrant at one teen’s residence, where they found a gel bead gun, a tactical vest, and a hockey-style mask.
Both juveniles now face charges, including two counts of harassment, one count of criminal mischief, and two counts of criminal trespassing.
Police concluded that the teenagers were merely playing a prank by knocking on doors late at night, which understandably alarmed some residents; however, no threats were made.
Details about their arraignment were still pending as of Monday.
Residents reported seeing masked figures approaching houses shortly before 11 p.m. on Friday, prompting the investigation. Surveillance footage shared by police captured an individual in a black hockey mask and tactical vest seemingly holding a rifle outside a home.
Another image revealed a different masked individual in a black vest approaching a house.
Officers had been dispatched to the area around 10:50 p.m. after receiving reports about a suspicious person.
Witnesses mentioned that a masked person with what looked like a rifle knocked on doors before fleeing the scene.
Moreover, police spotted four people heading east on Mallard Road, two on bikes and two on foot.
Despite searching the neighborhood with a K-9 unit, the officers could not locate the teenagers immediately.
Initially, investigators believed the apparent weapons could have been airsoft guns, but it’s yet to be confirmed if the gel bead gun recovered was indeed what was seen in the footage.
This incident follows a situation from nearly two months ago when a man in a “Chucky”-style mask was recorded intimidating individuals about 35 miles away in Philadelphia.
That suspect, Zymire Hughes, aged 22, was later apprehended in Las Vegas by members of the U.S. Marshals Service’s Philadelphia office.
