Fire and gasoline don’t mix. This isn’t a new discovery, yet people still use the very flammable fuel as an accelerant with the intent of causing harm. A group of teens enjoying a fire on a Florida beach apparently thought throwing a bit of gas on the flames sounded like fun. Bradey Ming, a 17-year-old from Ocala, allegedly took things a step further. Police say the teen intentionally set a friend on fire, causing significant injuries all over his body. Ming now faces charges in connection with the attack.
The incident occurred late in the evening on January 10, 2026, and into the early morning hours of January 11 on an island at Lake Keer in the Ocala National Forest, WCJB reported. Video shows a group of teens laughing and joking near the fire. Ming asks another teen, “Do you want to be set on fire?” What happens next is truly shocking.
Ming reportedly makes a trail of gasoline in the ground before splashing the teen sitting in a chair near the bonfire, the video shows. The trail ignites, and flames immediately engulf the teen as he runs into the lake to extinguish them, per the outlet.
The youths left by jet ski, and the injured teen ended up at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, WCJB reported. He had a combination of second-degree and third-degree burns on his hands, legs, thighs, and backside. The flames caused blisters, bleeding, and discoloration to his skin.
According to Fox 35, the teenage victim told his mother he tried to throw a gasoline-filled water bottle on the fire, causing the flames to hit him, but his father quickly realized that wasn’t the case when he saw the shocking video. The news outlet posted the video on YouTube along with body cam footage from Ming’s arrest. People could not believe what they saw.
“The laughing tells you just how stupid they are,” someone wrote.
“He is not his friend! What a horrible thing to do!” another person added.
Others believe Ming didn’t think about the consequences at all.
“Never at any point in my development as a human was I stupid enough to do something like this,” one viewer commented.
We have to agree. In what world is playing with fire and gasoline a fun party game? Ming, who apparently turned himself in to authorities, faces felony aggravated battery charges. He’s lucky it’s not homicide.
