This is when TikTok yobs were caught on camera booting up a family’s front door as part of a ‘sinister’ social media trend that was wreaking havoc across the UK.
The two youngsters were taped in London filming themselves banging on a door to the beat of Kesha’s 2021 dance hit, Die Young.
It’s part of the so-called “heartbeat” challenge, which shows TikTokers playing the chart, slamming on doors, and sprinting away before it opens.
The trend first made its appearance in 2021 and has been popular in colleges across America, with some videos racking up millions of views.
But in recent weeks, it’s rearing its ugly head again across the pond in the UK, with a new generation of pranksters now appearing to be joining in.
Two youths were filmed taking part in so-called ‘Heartbeat’ challenge TikTok trend in London
It is ravaging towns and villages across the UK and has seen some youths smash the doors of unsuspecting strangers as they opened them.
Pensioners living in the small Cambridgeshire village of Little Paxton have been left terrified by pranksters, who now plague the community.
On one street, villagers have resorted to installing video doorbells and CCTV cameras to catch the crooks.
Among the latest victims were Pamela Russell and her partner Brian Johnson. They were watching TV on a Saturday night when dorks broke down their door.
“We were sitting in the living room watching true crime stories when a huge bang shook the whole house,” said 50-year-old Pamela. The times.
“It felt like the walls had burst. I thought they ran to the door and went in with two feet.’
The yobs were reportedly chased off by the couple’s border collie, Amber, who was left shaken by the attack.
Another woman, 82, in the village thought she had been broken into when she heard loud bangs on her door.
The craze, shows TikTokers filming themselves banging on a door to the beat of Kesha’s 2021 dance hit, Die Young, before running away. Some videos have been viewed millions of times online. Pictured are pranksters in London
It’s part of a trend that has since swept the UK, with residents of one village – Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire – left terrified by pranksters, now plaguing the community. The photo shows the incident in London
‘I was still shaking the next day, until my 14-year-old granddaughter said it was a silly TikTok trend,” she said.
“You’d think if it was a joke there would be laughter, but this was really sinister.”
Local radio DJ David Thomas said while the trend may seem like a joke to some, it could shock vulnerable residents.
Residents have also reported similar TikTok hooligans in Barnsley and South Yorkshire.
The trend has also led to police warnings in the past.
It came after a pensioner’s door in Hemel Hempstead was damaged by idiots who took up the challenge in October 2021.
The incident sparked a furious response from local officers, who blasted social media thugs who took part in the trend.
Speaking of the craze, PCSO Sarah Rex of Herefordshire Police told the Liverpool Echo: ‘It’s not just a bit of fun – it’s frightening, anti-social and in some cases illegal.
“We will investigate each report and try to identify those involved before taking appropriate action.”
Have you been targeted by TikTokers participating in the so-called “Heartbeat Challenge”? Email tom.cotterill@mailonline.co.uk
