A boy from Far Rockaway who set himself on fire and suffered serious injuries did it as part of a YouTube “fire challenge,” it was reported.
On Tuesday evening, at approximately 7:30 p.m., a 12-year-old boy splashed himself with rubbing alcohol and set himself ablaze while standing in the bathtub in his home on Watjean Court at Far Rockaway, NY Post first reported.
According to the reports, he wanted to extinguish the fire with water from the shower but wasn’t able to do so.
Emergency units arrived at 7:46 p.m. and rushed the boy into Nassau University Medical Center Burn Unit in critical condition. He suffered third-degree burns covering more than 40 percent of his body.
The boy apparently burned himself as part of a daring game during which the participant is supposed to voluntarily set himself or herself on fire for a short period of time by applying flammable liquids. The incendiary act is then recorded on video and posted on social media.
The first fire challenge video was uploaded on YouTube in 2012 and gained over 100,000 views according to the site KnowYourMeme.
In 2014, a 15-year-old boy from Buffalo died during a fire challenge.
