A Florida teenager is facing charges for allegedly setting his friend on fire while filming the incident as a prank. The 17-year-old, identified as Brady Minn, was arrested on January 11 for aggravated assault after a video of the event on Kaufman Island in Kerr Lake was shared.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, four friends were gathered around a bonfire drinking when Minn began playing with a gasoline can. Reports indicate that he poured gasoline on the fire, making flames shoot up, as captured in cellphone footage.
Laughter can be heard in the background as Minn engages the group with unsettling questions. One friend, Akira, even asks, “Do you want to flare up?” Min then approached another friend who was seated and doused his legs and feet with gasoline.
As flames erupted, the boy jumped away from the fire but was quickly engulfed. The other teens urged him to jump into a nearby lake to put himself out.
The victim suffered burns on his legs, arms, and hands and required medical attention at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville. He was admitted to the pediatric ICU, where he was diagnosed with second-degree burns on his right hand, leg, and buttocks, along with deeper burns on his lower legs and thigh.
Initially, the unidentified boy told his mother that he had been holding a gasoline can when it suddenly caught fire. However, after his father discovered the video, they contacted the sheriff’s office. The boy later admitted he felt pressured by Minn not to disclose the truth, explaining that discussing the event was tough for him.
Witnesses to the incident reported that none of Minn’s actions seemed intended to cause harm. They noted that, prior to the incident, the group had been enjoying a bonfire without any disputes. Minn has been taken into custody in Marion County without bail.
