The Ocala Police Department arrested two 18-year-olds on Saturday, April 25, after they recorded a series of irresponsible social media stunts at a Target store, causing damage and raising serious safety concerns. What started as a weekend joyride ended with criminal charges, a shattered door, and a police department that had seen quite enough.
Janek Szkaradek, one of the teenagers, drove a riding lawnmower through the Target on Southwest College Road, damaging a door, while Luke Charske stood nearby and filmed the entire incident for social media.
A customer named Vanessa Scarlett was inside the store when the mayhem started and was shocked by what she saw. She said, "The last thing you expect to see inside a Target is a lawn mower coming through the door. He actually drove straight into the door first and shattered it."
As soon as it happened, she began shooting on her phone, along with several passersby who found the situation both problematic and funny.
NEW: Two 18-year-old Ocala teens arrested after riding lawnmower through Target store while filming social media stunt
— The Facts Dude ?? (@Thefactsdude) April 26, 2026
On Saturday, at the Target store in Ocala, Florida, 18-year-old Janek Szkaradek drove a riding lawnmower inside the store, damaging a door, while 18-year-old… pic.twitter.com/mGMpXOUNfH
On Sunday, the damage was quite visible, with wooden planks covering broken glass at the entrance.
But their history of nuisance spread beyond the Target, even though it wasn't the first act. The previous Friday, Szkaradek allegedly broke into a nearby Culver's restaurant on SW College Road while it was being filmed and activated a leaf blower.
The authorities recognized Charske as the person behind the camera and Szkaradek as the driver. They pointed out that although the video was meant for social media, their actions put both the customers and staff in danger within the complex.
The Ocala Police Department was bound to take notice if you prank a Target and a Culver's on the same weekend, and it did not end well for the teens.
Two teens in Florida were arrested for driving a lawnmower into a Target store in Ocala and shattering the glass as part of a prank for social media. pic.twitter.com/fI0ciDPJBe
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) April 27, 2026
Their charges explained the rest of the situation. Szkaradek was charged with criminal misdemeanour and disorderly conduct after driving a lawnmower and using a leaf blower on separate occasions. The other, Charske, who recorded the Target stunt, was charged with disorderly conduct.
The Ocala Police Department did not sugarcoat and took strict action. "These actions endangered people and caused property damage. They are crimes, not harmless videos. Think before you record, it's not worth an arrest and a criminal charge," a department spokesperson said in a statement.
It is the oldest lesson in the book, wrapped in a very 2026 package, social media clout evaporates overnight, but a criminal record does not. A few seconds of content is simply not worth a court date.
