“And I immediately started to freak out, ‘Take him to the hospital, take him to the hospital!'” she said. “I’m starting to cry, he’s crying.”
Jason told WDIV that his burns came from the second fire of the day, sparked by nail polish remover.
“The first time it was like, a little tiny fire. Then they swatted it off,” he said, “The second time it engulfed, and they kept spraying it on me.”
His parents rushed him to the hospital.
A spokesperson for Children’s Hospital of Michigan would not confirm the boy’s treatment to CNN Monday, citing hospital policy to not comment on pediatric patients.
Dearborn Heights police confirmed that they are investigating the matter, but would not comment further.
“Because of the ages of the individuals involved, I am unable to provide any details other than we will be coordinating with child protective services to assure the safety of all persons involved,” Captain Mark Meyers told CNN.
Tabitha Cleary did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for further comment.
Jason is not the first to be injured in the so-called “fire challenge.”
The “fire challenge” started as early as 2012 when one of the first fire challenge videos called “fire challenge” was uploaded to YouTube on April 5, 2012, showing a person lighting his chest hair on fire.
About a year ago, a 12-year-old Detroit girl burned nearly 50 percent of her body after attempting the “fire challenge.” The girl spent nearly two months in the hospital after suffering second- and third-degree burns doing the “challenge.”
Dr. Devorah Heitner, an expert on young people’s relationship with digital media and technology, and the author of “Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World” told “USA Today” that most kids do not engage in such dangerous behavior.
“It could be that that kid is more isolated and has something to prove to peers,” Heitner said on the talk show.
By Taylor Romine and Evan Simko-Bednarski, CNN
Ella Kietlinska contributed to this report
