The so-called challenge, which first made headlines more than seven years ago, requires participants to pour flammable liquids over themselves or another person, light that person on fire and then post a video of the act on social media.
A Michigan boy has been hospitalized after suffering second-degree burns when he was lit on fire, the latest child to be seriously injured in a dangerous “challenge” meant to be filmed and posted online.
Jason Cleary, 12, was with his friends last weekend when they decided to participate in the “Fire Challenge.”
The so-called challenge, which first made headlines more than seven years ago, requires participants to pour flammable liquids over themselves or another person and then light that person on fire. The act is meant to be recorded in a video and posted online on social media sites, such as YouTube.
Jason and his friends tried the challenge once before taking things to the next level. Before being set on fire for the second time, Jason was doused in nail polish remover.
“The first time, it was like, a little, tiny fire, and they swatted it off,” he told WDIV-TV. “Second time, they kept spraying it (the nail polish remover) on me.”
That second time, the fire spread quickly, engulfing Jason’s chin, chest and stomach. Jason's mother could hear his screams from inside the home.
“I could feel his pain and it was heartbreaking,” Jason mom, Tabitha, told the news station.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where his second-degree burns were treated for four days, authorities said. Jason was then released and is continuing to recover at home.
Police are investigating the incident.
RELATED STORIES
