Two Delaware teenagers who approached homes in tactical gear carrying what looked like rifles were pulling a late-night prank that still left neighbors alarmed and earned criminal charges, police said.
New Castle County police arrested a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy after surveillance cameras caught them walking up to houses in the Mallard Pointe neighborhood late Friday night. The teens wore masks and tactical-style vests and carried objects that looked like rifles. Officers later said the scare was a prank, not a planned attack.
Fox News Digital reported that police identified the juveniles Sunday and took them into custody that evening. Sgt. Andrea Botterbusch confirmed the Sunday evening arrests.
Both were charged with two misdemeanor counts of harassment, one misdemeanor count of criminal mischief, and two criminal trespassing violations. Arraignment information was pending Monday.
Residents reported masked figures approaching homes shortly before 11 p.m. Friday. Officers were called to the 1200 block of Canvasback Drive about 10:50 p.m. after a report of a suspicious person.
Police searched the neighborhood and nearby properties with K-9 help but could not find the suspects that night. Officers did report seeing four people heading east on Mallard Road, two on bicycles and two on foot.
A search warrant at one teen’s home turned up a gel bead gun, a tactical vest, and a hockey-style mask. Investigators at first thought the apparent weapons might have been airsoft-style guns. Police have not confirmed whether the recovered gel bead gun was the same item seen on camera.
Police determined the teens had been knocking on doors late at night as part of a prank that alarmed the neighborhood. They found no threats of violence.
The Delaware case came nearly two months after a man in a “Chucky”-style mask was caught on camera terrorizing pedestrians in Philadelphia, about 35 miles away. That suspect, Zymire Hughes, 22, was later arrested in Las Vegas by members of the U.S. Marshals Service’s Philadelphia office.
The two cases are separate. But for residents who opened a door to masked figures with what looked like rifles, the distinction between a “prank” and a real threat is hard to feel in the moment.
Surveillance images released by New Castle County police showed a masked individual with an apparent rifle approaching a home. One caption tied the images to Oct. 9, 2026.
Names of the juveniles were not released. No injuries were reported. Property damage figures were not detailed beyond the criminal mischief charge.
A “prank” that sends police and K-9 units through a quiet neighborhood after dark is not harmless fun, it is a choice that trades other people’s safety for a thrill, and the charges treat it that way.
