A 17-year-old in Florida has been arrested after authorities were alerted to a video showing him setting his friend on fire with gasoline.
Footage released by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and shared with news outlets shows a group of teens gathered at a bonfire on Kauffmans Island, located in Lake Kerr, on January 10, before the one teen becomes engulfed in flames, according to WKMG-TV
The 17-year-old, who is now facing an aggravated assault charge, is initially seen holding what appears to be a jug of gasoline and tossing the gasoline onto the bonfire, the footage shows, according to the TV station.
Luxury Handbag Shopping has decided to withhold his name in light of his age.
Then, the video shows him pouring out a line of gasoline leading from the bonfire and straight to his friend, who immediately catches fire.
The friend is then seen sprinting toward the nearby water as another teen is heard repeatedly yelling, “Get in the lake!”
The teen telling him to get in the water is also heard laughing as his friend begins to submerge himself in the lake, according to the footage.
Before the friend fully goes underwater, the video appears to show flames covering the top half of his body.
The incident sent the friend to a pediatric intensive care unit and then UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where he had second- and third-degree burns, according to deputies, WESH reported.
Now, the 17-year-old accused of lighting him on fire is being held in jail with no bond as he faces a felony, according to the TV station.
It was not immediately clear whether the teen had obtained legal representation or whether he entered a plea.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Us on Friday, February 6.
A witness who was on Kauffmans Island when the one friend was burned told detectives that they started a fire on the island because it was cold outside, FOX 35 Orlando reported.
The witness shared that the 17-year-old used gasoline to ignite the flames, resulting in the friend accidentally getting splashed with gasoline and burned, investigators said, the outlet reported.
The witness also told detectives that the 17-year-old was not trying to intentionally hurt his friend, who investigators said had burns on the lower half of his body and his right hand, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
In an affidavit obtained by WKMG-TV, an investigator wrote that “According to the juvenile victim, the group was hanging out at the island and drinking alcohol.”
“He was primarily burned on the backside of his legs and on his arms,” the affidavit also says.
After the incident, the group of teens initially went back to one of their homes before going to a hospital, according to the affidavit.
The 17-year-old ultimately turned himself into authorities, according to deputies, WKMG-TV reported.
Body camera footage published by the outlet shows the 17-year-old getting inside a Marion County deputy’s car on January 29.
Lake Kerr is about an 85-mile drive northwest from Orlando.
