Police Warn Of New TikTok Challenge In Philly Suburbs, Teens Charged

SOUTHEASTERN PA — A new TikTok challenge involving airsoft guns is continuing to spread among teens around the greater Philadelphia region, police warn, with multiple individuals now facing charges.

The challenge involves loading the guns with Orbeez gel pellets or other ammunition and firing them at random strangers or fellow students, according to authorities and media reports.

The trend was first reported weeks ago, with police departments around the region, including Upper Moreland, warning of the potential danger.

"Please talk to your children, monitor their social media activities, and ensure that they don't participate in criminal activity in the name of 'fun,'" Upper Moreland Police shared at the time.

Police say the gel pellets are actually now being modified to cause more serious injury and pain to those who are targeted, and that the pellets are often used on unsuspecting bystanders who are completely caught off guard when shot.

6ABC reported Tuesday that the challenge has caught on in Newark, Delaware and Radnor Township, where teens face charges.

In Newark, three 19-year-olds who shot at a University of Delaware student turned themselves in and face reckless endangerment charges.

At Radnor Middle School, three students and one staff member were shot with water-filled gel pellets by what was believed to be Radnor High School students. About 25 students were outside the school when a vehicle drove by and fired the pellets from a "gel blaster" at the group.

"They think it's funny, and the bottom line is it's not," Radnor Police Department Superintendent Christopher Flanagan told 6ABC. "Matter of fact, it's scary for individuals who are suddenly hit with some type of unknown object."

Parents could also face charges for the actions of children in some cases, police warn.

Police in Radnor stated that if an officer had witnessed the shooting, things could have escalated very quickly, which proves how dangerous these situations can be to the public.