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The incident took place in Greenwich around 3 a.m., Friday, April 28 on Field Point Road.
According to Greenwich Police, officers on patrol spotted a Kia Forte traveling recklessly and at a high rate of speed on Field Point Road.
Before officers could attempt to stop it, the vehicle had left the road and struck a house causing significant damage to both the car and the residence.
The four people in the Kia immediately fled the scene on foot but were soon taken into custody with the assistance of the department's drone and the Westport Police Departments K9 Officer, police said.
The Kia had been reported stolen from New York City and had damage to its ignition consistent with the Kia Challenge, police said.
The Kia Challenge is a TikTok trend linked to a series of motor vehicle thefts starting in 2022, targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles in the US. The thefts are pulled off by teens and young adults who post their exploits on social media.
One widely reported incident resulted in the death of four teens in Buffalo, New York, last October after the stolen car they were in crashed, police said.
No one from the home was injured by the collision, they added.
The four arrested, all from the Bronx, were:
- Anthony Izzac Alicea, age 21
- Jahim Hudson, age 20
- Keyon McCune, age 19
- Brandon Pandiello, age 19
They were all charged with:
- Criminal trespass
- Criminal mischief
- Larceny
- Conspiracy to commit larceny
- Criminal trover
- Interfering with a police officer
Pandiello was additionally charged with the following motor vehicle violations as the driver of the car:
- Traveling unreasonably fast
- Evading responsibility
- Failure to drive right
- Operating a vehicle without a license
The bond was $25,000 for each, with an assigned court date of Friday, May 12.
The Greenwich Police want to remind residents, if they see anything suspicious at any time of day, to contact the Dispatch Center at 203-622-8004 (24hrs).
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