Caught on Camera

Group of Young Kids Accused of Raiding, Trashing Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale

The video revealed patio furniture and a grill in the pool, and inside the home, TVs and furniture were destroyed

NBC Universal, Inc.

Video obtained by NBC 6 shows the aftermath of a home that was raided, ransacked and damaged over the weekend — both inside and out. 

The Grimaldi and Weiss Management company, which lists the three-bedroom home in Ft. Lauderdale’s Durrs neighborhood as a short-term rental through Airbnb, says the damage came at the hands of young children.

"They even turned on the water hose inside the house, and wet the place, they threw toilet paper. This is not a crime that a small child would do,” said Grimaldi and Weiss maintenance manager, Chris Johnson. 

The video revealed patio furniture and a grill in the pool, and inside the home, TVs and furniture were destroyed. 

“We had to replace every television inside of the house,” said Johnson.

Johnson says the chain of events that resulted in the recent damage at the property was likely set into motion months ago. Prior to the property being listed on Airbnb, he says the management agreed to allow a few children to swim in the pool with adult supervision. 

But Johnson says once guests began renting the property, came complaints of children showing up asking to use the pool, though the company says they were clear the property was being run as a business. 

On Sunday, Johnson says he got a call from his manager saying children had been on the property, and management arrived to find the damage.

“The cleaners forgot to lock the backdoor,” said Johnson. “The first group of kids we allowed to swim back in May were a nice group of boys and girls. But all we saw in the video the last few days approaching the home, were the girls.”

On Wednesday, Johnson found the girls on the property yet again and called the police. 

He says some parents showed up as well and were upset with the children. 

Part owner of the Grimaldi & Weiss management company, Jordan Grimaldi, says the State Attorney’s Office is deciding whether the children should be charged. 

“I really have no interest or take any pleasure in young kids going to jail, I would just hope that they learn a lesson and that they’re taught that what they did was wrong and was a very adult crime,” said Jordan.

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