Some people throw tantrums and stage protests; others apparently hop into excavators and level entire buildings. That was the chaotic scene in North Idaho as a disgruntled employee brought down a nearly completed building and refused to tell the police why. A video on TikTok captured the aftermath.
The person behind the camera recorded what was now left of the house as they drove by. “A disgruntled employee got pissed off this morning… took this house down with an excavator,” they explained, noting the clip was recorded barely two or three hours after the incident had occurred. They zoomed in across the road to show the tool of destruction, the excavator, parked right there. As the person approached the front of the property, they gasped at what used to be a house, with piles of wood framing, roofing material, insulation material, and debris scattered around the remains of the structure that was left standing. “Oh my God, that is awful,” the person exclaimed, “The house was almost finished.”
East Idaho News reported that neighbors called 911 around 5:38 am on Tuesday after spotting the man destroying the house. The Post Falls Police Department apprehended the man in a traffic stop after he had fled the scene. Authorities identified the driver as Fred Kudrna, a 29-year-old construction worker who, they said, “lives a transient lifestyle.” Kudrna was arrested for misdemeanor DUI, felony burglary, and felony malicious injury to property.
The clip set off a storm of reactions on the internet. “Pay your contractors, people,” a user wrote, insinuating the employee was reacting to an owed payment. Another echoed, ”Bet the contractor owes the excavation contractor tens of thousands.” A netizen stated, “People don’t get that mad for no reason.” A few turned to humor. “This dude really got drunk and thought, ‘You know what? Time to take an excavator for a spin. That’s not a bad decision, that’s a full-on demolition tour. Wild,” one wrote. “Who needs a 30-year mortgage? Dude just bought his house in half the time with a prison sentence,” another joked.
One viewer didn’t even pretend to be neutral, writing, “I’ve heard enough, I’m on the disgruntled employee’s side.” The humor kept flowing. “Wow, he did a great job while drunk. This needs to be in the next Smirnoff ad,” a TikToker penned. Another added, “Maybe he thought he’d have more work if more homes were destroyed. Also, he was drunk. That’s a motive right there.” However, someone else saw a more serious issue with construction standards, writing, “No wonder these houses blow away in a tornado, it looks like it’s made of cardboard.”
As of this writing, the police have yet to establish a motive for Fred Kudrna’s actions.
