A 12-year-old Bronx girl was arrested and charged with assault after she poured boiling hot water on a friend during a sleepover.
11-year-old Jamoneisha Merritt suffered 2nd degree burns on her face and chest during the attack on Monday night. She is remained in the ICU at Harlem hospital on Wednesday.
Police say the 12-year-old girl and Jamoneisha slept over at a fiend’s home in the Bronx on Monday night. The girl reportedly argued with Jamoneisha before bedtime. The girl then poured a cup of boiling water on Jamoneisha’s head, face and chest as she slept.
SEE ALSO: Florida Girl Dies Months After Drinking Boiling Water
“She sat up suddenly and screamed and was taken to the hospital,” said Jamoneisha’s mother, Ebony, in a Facebook post.
“Her friends wanted to play the hot water challenge and that’s what happened,” Ebony said.
Her mother shared photos of Jamoneisha writhing in agony in her hospital bed. Ebony refused to take the photos down after her followers asked her to.
“I can’t take it down. I need for these kids to know how serious this is,” she wrote.
Relatives described Jamoneisha as a “caring” and “kindhearted” little girl. She was often the target of bullying due to her weight, said Ebony.
The incident is similar to another prank involving boiling water that led to a Boynton Beach, Florida girl’s death.
Ki’ari Pope, 8, died from respiratory complications on Monday, 5 months after she drank boiling water through a straw on a dare.