Grandfather calls police after his house is allegedly damaged by grandson

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 13, 2025, a man called the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) requesting help regarding his grandson, who allegedly broke into his home and damaged it.

The suspect was later charged with Count 1: Property Damage in the Second Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine not to exceed $1,000.00, or both imprisonment and fine.

The defendant was held without bail.

According to the court affidavit, filed on November 14, 2025,  TPS received a call on Nov. 13th, from a Maleimi resident requesting assistance regarding his residence. The caller (the victim) alleged that his residence had been ransacked and damaged while he was away.

Police officers responded to the call and, upon arrival at the scene, met with the victim, who directed them to his residence. While approaching the home, the officers observed that the house had been broken into, with the fence broken along with the front door of the house.

Upon entering the house, the officers confirmed it had been ransacked, with items scattered across the floor. The authorities secured the house and interviewed the victim. Photos were also taken of the scene as evidence.

According to the victim, he left his house around 10:00 p.m. on Nov. 12th, for work. When he got back around 3:10 a.m., he noticed his front door was missing. He went inside and found his living room ransacked, with clothes scattered across the floor. The victim also noted that the kitchen area was a mess, with plates and cups shattered, and when he went into his room, he saw that his bedframe was wrecked.

The victim claimed that he believed that his grandson, Jerry Malaga, committed the crime.

A witness was also identified at the scene and was interviewed. The witness stated that on Nov. 12th, at approximately 11:00 p.m., she heard a loud bang coming from the victim's house. She got up to check, and she saw Jerry Malaga standing in the victim's kitchen, throwing cups and plates. The witness explained that after destroying the kitchen area, the suspect walked out of the house and pushed the water tank in front of the suspect's home. He then threw a lumber at a window from outside. The victim added that after the suspect cracked the window, he walked back into the victim's house, and from there she wasn't able to see or hear anything.

After the interviews, police canvassed the area to locate the suspect.

The officers also noticed that the back door of the victim's other house (located next to the damaged house) was open. The victim gave permission for the officers to enter the house. The officers, along with the victim, entered the house and saw the suspect sleeping naked on the bed.

The suspect was apprehended and placed in the police unit for transport to the TPS for further investigation. When arresting the suspect, police officers detected a strong smell of alcohol on the suspect's breath.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the suspect was Mirandized, where he understood and agreed to make a statement.

The suspect stated that he drank a bottle of vodka earlier that day, and he went and hung out with his friends in front of his aunt's house, which was across from the victim's house. The suspect claimed that he did not cause the damage to the victim's house because he loves the victim (his grandpa). The victim only admitted to damaging the bottle of water inside the victim's home.

During the suspect's interrogation, he uttered that he was "so drunk at the time".

The suspect was later booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility for confinement to await his court appearance.

Police officers later interviewed another witness who lived behind the suspect's house and across from the victim's house. She stated that this is not the first time that the suspect has damaged his grandfather's house. Witness #2 claimed that the suspect is a dangerous person to be around, especially when he is intoxicated and out of control.

She also revealed that the last time the suspect damaged the victim's house, the officers were unable to locate him.

The defendant is identified as a 24-year-old U.S national.

[Editor’s Note: An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court. It is not a court decision. Under local law, defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty by the court. ra]