Police are investigating creepy doorbell footage of three people wearing Halloween masks and trying to break into a home in Virginia on Tuesday night.
A Ring security camera showed the mask-wearing trio standing outside of Shayla Whiteside’s mother’s home in Alexandria, Va.
Whiteside told WUSA9 she was at the home with her mother — who was recently widowed — her younger brother and their family dog when the group arrived.
“At first I thought it was just a Halloween joke, a little prank,” Whiteside told the outlet. “So I said, ‘Happy Halloween.’”
That’s when the masked males made threats toward her and her family, saying they would kill them, while trying to get inside the house.
“Your worst nightmare. Open the f— up,” the suspects yelled after ringing the doorbell. One wore a clown mask, another wore a costume resembling Michael Myers from the Halloween film franchise and the third was dressed as a nun.
Three Halloween mask-wearing suspects tried breaking into a woman’s home in Virginia.
Shayla Whiteside via Storyful
“It’s either you coming out or we coming in. Open the door,” one person said in the video, as he tried to open the front door.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Whiteside said that she told the group she was on the phone with 911 and that police were on the way.
“They kept, like, knocking on the door,” she said. “The knocks would get harder and harder.”
Whiteside said that the situation was “not even a joke gone wrong.”
“They tried to enter into the home. My heart dropped when they said they were gonna take a chair and break down the door,” she added.
Whiteside said the incident lasted about 10 minutes and has left her entire family shaken.
“My dad recently just died, so it’s just like, I’m just glad I was there,” Whiteside said. “But now she’s [her mother] in fear. She don’t wanna stay there by herself.”
Alexandria police Chief Tarrik McGuire said the incident is “a very serious matter.”
“They began to make threatening and alarming comments to the family … specifically, they said, ‘If you do not come out, we will come in,’ and also threatened to do bodily harm, stating that they would ultimately kill them,” McGuire said during a press conference on Thursday.
Police believe that the suspects may have fled in a vehicle after removing their Halloween costumes.
Investigators are now analyzing additional video footage from nearby homes and businesses to help identify the individuals, McGuire added.
“Historically, we have seen pranks around the nation with people wearing masks, trying to mimic movie scenes or horrific films,” McGuire said. “These are serious matters because they are frightening, but most importantly, they can result in serious injury.”
If arrested, the suspects could face charges for the incident, including making criminal threats and burglary, McGuire added.
“We’re actively searching for you. We’re going to ultimately find you,” McGuire said while issuing a warning to the suspects. “We have people in our community that are so concerned about this event, they’re wanting to put forth funding for tips to identify persons to come forward.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
