Florida teen facing felony battery charge after setting friend on fire, deputies say

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida teen was arrested after the Marion County Sheriff's office said video evidence shows the teen intentionally set his friend on fire. 

What we know:

Bradey Ming, 17, is facing a felony aggravated battery charge after a teen boy was lit on fire, deputies say. The boy was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his right hand, bottom and right leg. Deputies also reported a "deep full thickness burn" to his lower right leg, lower left leg and left thigh. 

Ming – who turned himself in – is being held without bond. 

During its investigation, a Marion County deputy responded to a children's hospital in Gainesville regarding a boy who was lit on fire. Before speaking with the boy, the deputy had seen a video depicting Ming – deputies said – pouring gasoline on the boy, which caused him to catch fire. The incident took place on Jan. 11 on Kauffman Island, at Lake Kerr. 

The boy first told his mother that he attempted to throw a water bottle with gasoline into a fire when it erupted and burned his legs, a Marion County arrest affidavit said. However, the boy's dad found a video showing that he'd been set on fire by Ming. The dad then contacted the sheriff's office with this information. 

The boy had been about 10 feet away from the fire drinking alcohol with a group on the island. Ming was in this group. 

Ming asked the boy something such as, "Do you want to be set on fire?" the boy told the detective. Ming was "messing" with the fire with the gas can, the boy told detectives. Ming held the gas can and created a trail with the gas before splashing it on him, the boy said. The trail ignited, and the boy caught on fire.  

He was burned on the back of his legs and arms, the boy told detectives. The boy ran into the lake to extinguish the flames, he told detectives. 

A witness told detectives the group decided to start a fire due to the cold and Ming poured gas on the fire to get it started. The witness confirmed that Ming created a trail of gas and splashed it on the victim, the affidavit said. 

No one involved was arguing and there was no indication that Ming hurt the boy maliciously, the witness reported. 

Based on the video and information from the investigation, the investigator said a reasonable person can conclude that the gasoline would cause great bodily injury.