Residents in Maui Lani say door-kicking incidents have recurred there since June, while an Ewa Beach resident describes a recent episode on Oahu. Mae says someone kicked her front door about five times around 9 p.m., hard enough to shake her house. In Maui Lani, Matt E. says he has spent nearly $14,000 repairing damage and improving security after late-night pounding at his home.
Mae told Hawaii News Now she feared someone was trying to break in. She contacted the station after the incident and later learned another resident nearby had experienced similar trouble. She chose not to share her full name or exact neighborhood, citing concern about retaliation.
A Pattern Residents Say Has Been Building Since Summer
Residents in Maui Lani say the incidents have been happening consistently since June, according to the same report. Matt E., who also withheld his full name because of concern about retaliation, said he heard pounding at about 1:30 a.m. while he was asleep. He has filed multiple police reports and contacted his homeowners association. Surveillance footage from the area appears to show people who look like teenagers kicking doors, the report said.
The people responsible for the incidents in Ewa Beach and Maui Lani are believed to be teenagers, according to the station's reporting, but their identities have not been established. Mae urged parents to discuss respect for neighbors and their property, and encouraged people who witness or experience door-kicking to report it.
A Trend That Started On the Mainland Years Ago
The so-called door-kicking challenge is not new, and it did not start in Hawaii. A viral social media trend that began on the continent five years ago has now made its way to Maui's Valley Isle, the outlet reports. The stunt, in which teens kick the front doors of strangers' homes, has been captured on security cameras across the country, according to a report from NBC News published in 2025, which noted that police have been warning both teens and parents about the prank.
Hawaii is far from the only place dealing with the fallout. In Oregon, Washington County investigators told KOIN they had received calls involving teens kicking doors as part of the same social media challenge, and Hillsboro resident Marta Sanchez said participants had shown up at her door twice in recent weeks. On the East Coast, the Township of Washington Police Department issued a warning in October that the challenge may be making its way into its community, while a separate report from ABC News noted that authorities elsewhere have also been warning the public about the trend.
What Residents Are Asking Neighbors To Do
Hawaii's legislature has a statute on the books, HRS §708-821, covering criminal property damage in the second degree, though the available text does not spell out how it would apply to a specific door-kicking case, and no Hawaii law enforcement agency has confirmed any arrests, citations or charges tied to the Ewa Beach or Maui Lani incidents. Mae is urging parents to talk with their kids about respecting neighbors and their property, and she is encouraging anyone who witnesses or experiences a door-kicking incident to report it to authorities rather than stay quiet about it.
How Other Cases and Reporting Rules Compare
For reporting guidance on Oahu, the Honolulu Police Department says its online citizen report system handles requests for certain non-emergency reports involving incidents on Oahu only. For incidents elsewhere, it directs people to contact the police department in the jurisdiction where the incident occurred.
