TikTok craze terrifying sleeping residents across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie

Watch the terrifying moment intruders allegedly break into the home of a prominent businessman while he and his wife were at home. It’s part of a dangerous new trend sweeping the state.

As they enter the front door a few hours after midnight, none of the four burglars look around for any late-night rustlings from within the Geary family home at Dudley.

In fact, the first apparent reaction from at least one of the thieves is to grab his phone and make sure it is recording.

Such is the fearless and cold nature of the TikTok gangs which are terrorising neighbourhoods across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, appearing more interested in making sure they are ready to post their criminal videos online than of the danger of committing a growing number of aggravated break and enters and other serious offences.

Home security vision taken during a break-in at the home of well known Newcastle businessman Glenn Geary show one of the intruders with his phone ready to record. Pictures: Supplied

Their online boasts include a range of hashtags centring around “creeping” while people are sleeping, and are now being copied by gangs in other areas across NSW and Queensland as they vie to outdo each other.

But their actions, which are now at the centre of a significant police strike force investigating dozens of burglaries, vehicle theft and carjackings, are having a profound effect on their victims.

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Like Sue Geary who, along with her well-known Newcastle businessman husband Glenn Geary and their family, were asleep when the intruders were caught on camera silently entering their Dudley home just before 3am a fortnight ago.

Sue Geary cannot sleep with the light off and she jumps when she hears something in the bush behind her Dudley house. Picture by Peter Lorimer

Mrs Geary has had to sleep with the light on since and has taken days off work to deal with the trauma of having unwanted people rummaging through her house.

“We back onto bushland and every time there is a noise we jump,” Mrs Geary, 53, said.

“I could hear them whispering and they were still only getting out of the house when I confronted them.’’

CCTV of the raid shows the burglars twice momentarily leaving the home after being spooked, gathering themselves and re-entering where they continued to ransack parts of the home, finding Mrs Geary’s car keys before leaving without a fresh set of wheels only because it was parked in by her husband’s vehicle.

One of the intruders enters the Geary home at Dudley. Pictures: Supplied

It is a nightmare experienced by at least seven other households on the same night across suburban Newcastle and Lake Macquarie as the thieves help themselves to anything valuable before leaving in their victim’s cars.

Two men living a street away from the Gearys were confronted by six men, one armed with a wheel brace, when they investigated noises from the kitchen as they were watching a late-night football match.

Merewether resident Doug, who did not wish to have his surname published, said his thoughts continually return to the fishing knives thieves took from his garage before they rifled through his residence and took a car during a burglary earlier this week.

An image of one of the TikTok videos posted online during a break in.

“They would have been walking through our place armed with those knives,” Doug said.

“We are seriously thinking about moving now.

“It is one thing for them to take your car, it is another thing altogether to think they are walking around your house just metres from where we are sleeping.”

Strike Force Mackinnon was established on Monday to hunt down the growing number of thieves who are boasting about their crimes on TikTok following the carjacking of magistrate Robert Stone.

There had been more than 30 separate crimes already identified on the first day of the investigation, but senior police are quietly aware that the number will skyrocket once proper analysis is done on break and enters, car thefts and carjackings throughout greater Newcastle.

Image stills taken from TikTok videos of youth gangs stealing cars and breaking into homes.

Intelligence suggests the high majority of the crimes are being performed by a core group of young teenagers, some from as far afield as the New England and North West, who are loosely connected through families, community groups and social media.

Senior police have already warned they have fears that someone could be seriously injured or killed as these youths actively prompt police pursuits in stolen cars to video the chase.

It has become the main talking point on several social media platforms and local pages, and has caused at least one resident to call for police to publicly release information on where the crimes are being committed.

Glenn and Sue Geary were targeted while they slept in their Dudley home. Picture by Peter Lorimer

“This has changed our lives, hopefully only temporarily but it has still changed them,” Mr Geary said.

“We are acting differently than before this happened. We hear things we never heard before and see things that are not there.”

The craze has attracted the wrath of Deputy Premier and Police Minister, Paul Toole, who hit out at criminals taking on the trend.

“Anyone considering jumping on this trend should ask themselves: Are a few moments of fame on the internet worth dying for? Or at best, spending years in prison for?” he said.

“Filming yourself committing a crime and posting the video online is a sure-fire way to get yourself arrested, charged and convicted of the offence.

“Everything posted online leaves a digital footprint and even deleted posts/videos can be recovered and tendered as evidence.”

Police minister Paul Toole have warned the TikTok criminals that they have left a digital footprint. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Meanwhile, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood told The Daily Telegraph the trend goes beyond stupidity and recklessness; “these acts are crimes”.

“The maximum penalty for a break and enter is 14 years imprisonment, which increases to 20 years in circumstances of aggravation and 25 years in circumstances of special aggravation,” the assistant commissioner said.

“For vehicle theft, the maximum penalty can be 5 or 10 years imprisonment, depending on the circumstances, and five years just for travelling in a stolen car.

“As for the manner of driving, there are a raft of offences which can be applied – and that’s without taking into consideration the likelihood this type of behaviour may injure or kill the occupants of the vehicle – or worse – an innocent road user.”

It is understood TikTok has been working with NSW police as part of their investigation.

“Safety is our priority, which is why TikTok prohibits and removes content that promotes or enables criminal activities and makes reports to law enforcement when warranted,” a TikTok spokeswoman said.

“We remain vigilant in our commitment to countering such content and encourage our community to report potential violations of our community guidelines.