Late Night Prank Gone Wrong
To The Editor:
On Wednesday night August 6, around 10:45 pm, a late night prank could have had serious consequences.
Being half asleep, I was startled awake by two sets of loud & violent banging sessions on my front door which led me to believe we were being victims of a home intrusion. Not knowing if an intruder had entered our home I immediately was concerned for my wife’s safety and began what I thought was an attempt to secure my home and to determine if an intruder had in fact made entry.
Once I was convinced an intruder had not made entry I dialed 911 for police support. The response and support provided by the Newtown Police Department was outstanding. Their assurances that it was not a home invasion attempt helped to calm the situation some, but not completely.
The reality of what occurred was still upsetting. A group of adolescent young men had been detained for trespassing and what I call malicious behavior (stealing lawn furniture and throwing it in the street). As a resident of Newtown and member of such a great caring community this is not an extra curricular activity that I will condone. The anxiety, fear, and defensive reaction my wife and I experienced, within our home, could have had a much more catastrophic result.
At this time I have not pressed charges on the culprits. However if I am not contacted by the parents of these young men, receive an explanation and apology and have my property returned I will reconsider my position.
James J. Spinner
Newtown
You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.
A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.
John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious.
But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines.
At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.