A Salt Lake City man provoked criminal charges Wednesday for his alleged violent conduct toward a 12-year-old boy who ding dong ditched his house.
Tony Arnold Bernstone, 58, was charged with felony child kidnapping and child abuse, which is a misdemeanor, KSL-TV in Salt Lake City reported.
“[Bernstone’s] reaction to what is perceived to be a silly childhood game of ding-dong ditch was concerning and over the top,” prosecutors said in court documents.
The incident happened on Aug. 1, when the boy and a group of friends having a sleepover decided to ding dong ditch some nearby homes, according to KSTU-TV.
At some point, they rang Bernstone’s doorbell, prompting him to get on a bicycle and chase after the boys.
Bernstone allegedly grabbed one boy by the shirt and slammed him against a gate. He then reportedly slapped him in the face three times before punching him in the stomach.
A boy who witnessed the encounter said that Bernstone told the 12-year-old he was going to “beat the living shiz” out of him.
Bernstone forced the boy to call his parents before dragging him by the shirt to a nearby gas station to meet his father.
Bernstone was arrested the next day, on Aug. 2, according to KSTU-TV.
When police arrested him, Bernstone reportedly admitted to slapping the boy, but denied punching the boy.
As questioning continued, he reportedly said, “No comment.”
The story is just one example of how harmless pranks can sometimes escalate into something serious.
In July 2024, a Maine man shot and injured a teenager who had ding dong ditched his house.
The teen was with a group of friends who rang 30-year-old Vincent Martin’s doorbell around 1:00 a.m., according to WMTW-TV in Maine.
Martin reportedly fired 14 rounds with his 9 mm pistol at the teens, hitting one of them in the leg.
“In my mind, the kids should not have been doing what they were doing. However, the individual bringing a firearm and shooting at kids while they’re fleeing is obviously a problem, as well,” Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said.
The teen was taken to a hospital, and Martin was later charged with assault and reckless conduct with a firearm.
“People are construing the fact that they can defend their residence, their family, et cetera and maybe taking it a little over the limit in this particular case. We’re living in a world where it just seems like everybody is on edge,” Joyce said.
“This innocent prank needs to be put on a shelf somewhere and never visited again.”
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