WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — A Long Island man accused of chasing down a 13-year-old boy and threatening him with pepper spray following a ding-dong ditch-style prank was arrested early Friday morning.
Suffolk County Police said it all started on Wednesday afternoon when the teen was walking with five school friends to a playground and knocked on the door of random house on Second Street in West Babylon before running away.
John Petrillo, who lives at the house, allegedly came out of the home and ran after the boy.
Police said when the teen took off on a bicycle, the 48-year-old Petrillo hopped in a car and chased after the boy, cutting him off at 13th Street and Tooker Avenue.
Petrillo then allegedly got out of his car and pulled the boy off the bicycle.
He pushed the teen against the vehicle, hit the boy’s head against the car window, and pulled out some pepper spray, which he threatened to use on the teen, according to police.
Petrillo also allegedly threatened to let his dog attack the teen if he tried to run away.
A passerby witnessed the confrontation and intervened.
Petrillo then let go of the boy and verbally threatened the teen as he walked away with his friends, police said.
Police arrested Petrillo at his home around 1 a.m. Friday following an investigation.
He is charged with menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.
Several law enforcement agencies across the country have recently issued warnings about a new TikTok craze that took off in college dorms, but has since spread to residential neighborhoods, which involves people loudly banging or kicking doors to the beat of the Kesha song "Die Young" before running away.
Police would not confirm whether the Long Island incident was related to the TikTok trend.
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