In a spine-chilling incident that occurred in New York, two young teens aged 14 and 16 allegedly broke into the home of an adult man and set him on fire. The man was sitting on a chair when he was sprayed with flammable liquid and set on fire. It was brutal enough to cause second and third degree burns, covering 70% of his body.
After they received news of the incident, emergency personnel arrived at the residence around 12:30 pm, and the victim was immediately attended to by firefighters before he was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital in an extremely critical condition. Tragically, however, he did not make it. Given the severity of the injuries sustained by the victim, he succumbed to the condition and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The victim, whose identity has been withheld by the police, reportedly had no known family in the city. The attackers too remain unnamed due to the fact that both are underage. The teens were Black, while the victim was a white male, bringing race into the picture and fueling controversy.
The Rochester police announced that one of the two teens, a 16-year-old boy was charged with first degree assault and second degree attempted arson. “Because of his age, he was arraigned in Monroe County Youth Court. After the arraignment he was remanded to the Monroe County Children’s Center,” a statement by the Rochester police said. “The 16-year old’s name cannot be released due to his age.”
Upon further investigation, the other teen, a 14-year-old boy, too, was taken into custody and charged with the same crimes. Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino gave a statement on Tuesday morning, saying, “We will be working with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in regards to upgrading charges against the individuals previously charged.”