A Florida beach hangout turned into a horrifying stunt gone wrong after a 17-year-old allegedly set his friend on fire — and the whole thing was caught on video that later went viral.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the teen is seen in the clip tracing a line of gasoline from a campfire across the sand… straight to another boy sitting nearby. Gas splashes. Flames ignite. And the victim bolts into the lake in a panic, trying to put himself out.
At first, the boy told his mom it was an accident — that he burned himself tossing a gas-filled water bottle into the fire. But when his dad found the Snapchat video, he immediately called police. Deputies later searched the beach and found the gasoline container hidden in some bushes, plus a pile of empty alcohol cans.
The late-night incident happened Jan. 10 on Kauffmans Island at Lake Kerr, about 80 miles north of Orlando. Afterward, the teens reportedly hopped on a Jet Ski and went back to a house instead of getting help. Hours later, the injured boy finally went to a local hospital — where doctors airlifted him to a children’s facility and admitted him to the pediatric ICU with second-degree burns.
But authorities didn’t get involved until more than two weeks later, when the parents saw the video and realized their son’s story didn’t match the truth.
The sheriff’s affidavit paints a brutal picture: deep full-thickness burns on both legs, bloodied skin, a burn on his buttock, and blistering across his hand. Investigators say the victim admitted he lied to protect the friend who set him ablaze.
When deputies arrested the 17-year-old last week, they say the incriminating video was still saved on his phone. He’s now facing a felony aggravated battery charge.
Witnesses told investigators there wasn’t any bad blood between the boys — and in the video, someone even asks, “You want to be on fire?” moments before the flames erupt.
Just another unbelievable day in Florida.
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