The Yeti
In 2012, Randy Lee Tenley from Montana tried to prank his town by dressing as a yeti and walking onto the highway. A young driver was so startled that he hit him, and then another vehicle ran over the man, who died instantly.
Ding-Dong
Almost every kid has played the doorbell ditch prank at least once. Three Virginia teens did the same for a "ding dong ditch" TikTok video but picked the wrong house. Inside lived 27-year-old Tyler Chase Butler, who thought they were trying to break in. He grabbed his gun and fired at the fleeing teens. One was grazed by a bullet, but Michael Bosworth wasn’t so lucky. The 18-year-old, who was supposed to attend his school prom that night, died from his injuries after being hospitalized. A similar incident in 2000 in India involved a man shooting three teens after doorbell ditching. The lesson? In the U.S., where guns are common, this prank can be deadly.
The Spark
Eric Morelli tried to scare his girlfriend Kristin Milano’s brother by tossing a sparkling firework through his bedroom window. The boy wasn’t home, and Kristin’s family initially thought only their belongings were lost in the fire. But firefighters found a burned body in one room: Kristin likely was asleep and died from smoke inhalation.
Covered Up
Two Ohio teens, Seth Stonerock and Derek Greenle, liked to prank others at their expense, but in 2011 they went too far. They covered a stop sign with bubble wrap, causing an elderly woman and her passenger to drive into an intersection without stopping, colliding with a speeding van. Both women died at the scene. The teen who came up with the idea was sentenced to four years but served only eight months.
Engine Failure
In 1996, a Colombian cargo plane pilot joked with his rookie co-pilot by shutting down both engines and handing over control. The plane crashed immediately into a residential area. 22 people died, including many children playing nearby.
Halloween
16-year-old Jordan Morlan tried to scare his little sister on Halloween by pretending to hang himself from a tree. The noose was too tight, and he suffocated. His sister alerted their mother that Jordan was hanging and unresponsive, but the mother only checked when she heard frothy saliva coming from his mouth. Jordan couldn’t be saved.
The Egg
In 2006, 14-year-old Danny Crawford and two friends threw eggs at passing cars. One car stopped, and passenger Michael Goss chased the kids. While running, he shot at them, hitting Danny. The bullet entered his chest and exited through his jaw, killing him on the spot. Goss was convicted eight years later and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Deadly Underwear
Brad Davis playfully pulled his stepfather’s underwear up over his head. While they laughed, the tight waistband slipped around the man’s neck and strangled him.
Hands Up!
Two young YouTubers wanted to create content by staging a fake robbery with knives in a store. Unfortunately, the owner believed the attack was real and shot one of them. The owner wasn’t convicted, as the shooting was ruled self-defense.
Dad
A father tried to prank his daughter by pretending to fall off a cliff at the Grand Canyon. He lost his balance and actually fell, right in front of his terrified daughter.
