12-year-old Michigan boy severely burned in social media ‘fire challenge’

Jason Cleary's friend sprayed the 12-year-old with nail polish remover, then set him on fire, the boy's mother told WDIV-TV.

Tabitha Cleary, of Dearborn Heights in metro Detroit, told the news station that her son was at a friend's house Saturday when she heard screaming.

“We came running out. That's when we saw his friend Bryce riding him on the bike with no shirt on,” she said. “I start to freak out. ‘Take him to the hospital, take him to the hospital.’ I'm crying. He's crying.”

The boy suffered burns to his stomach, chest and chin, WDIV reported.

The “fire challenge” has been around for at least a year. A Detroit girl was injured last year when she was set on fire as part of the challenge.