Lawsuit claims man was left an emotional wreck because of teenager playing ‘ding dong ditch’

An insurance agent from Shorewood, Illinois, was left an emotional wreck by a teenage neighbour who repeatedly rang his doorbell and ran away, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court. State Farm insurance agent John Wright has sued the youth, 14-year-old Brennan Papp, as well as Papp’s parents, Rick and Sara Papp.

Rick Papp is also a State Farm agent, and the lawsuit says that is why Papp singled out Wright for his doorbell devilry. According to the suit, “Brennan intentionally chose” Wright’s “residence because he knew John D. Wright was also an agent with the insurance company like his father.” For several weeks, the suit said, “some unknown individual or individuals repeatedly rang the doorbell at the Wright residence.



When (Wright) went to answer the door, no one would be at the door. This is commonly known as ‘ding dong ditch.’” This happened so often, the suit says, that Wright was “forced to contact the police; however, no one (was) caught until June 26, 2016.” The lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday, says that “upon information and belief,” Brennan confessed to a Shorewood police officer that he rang Wright’s bell and ran off at least once.

Brennan’s “actions were willful and intentionally aimed at harassing” Wright, according to the lawsuit, and they had a dire effect on Wright’s well-being. Wright “suffered severe emotional distress, severe anxiety, sleeplessness, extreme and rapid weight loss, and required treatment medication in order to function in his daily living,” the lawsuit says. Wright also supposedly lost more than $30,000 in income, somehow. Neither Wright nor Papp have commented.