BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A 6-year-old Connecticut boy is in the hospital with severe burns after his family says he was targeted by bullies who lit him on fire.
Heartbreaking photos shared with WNBC show Dominick Krankall’s body covered in bandages in the hospital after the attack Sunday. Krankall’s sister, Kayla Deegan, told the station that the 6-year-old was playing in the backyard with other children who live nearby.
Dominick’s family said that an 8-year-old neighbor launched a tennis ball — soaked in gasoline and lit on fire — at Dominick’s face, The Washington Post reported.
“As soon as he walked down the stairs, the bully called his name and lured him over around the corner, and in a matter of seconds he came back around the corner, saying ‘Mommy, they lit me on fire,’” Deegan told WNBC.
Dominick’s mother, Maria Rua, said in a statement to WTNH: “My son has been bullied by this child for a year. That day, they purposefully threw a gasoline-saturated ball that they lit on fire at my son’s face. They called his name so he would turn around. They threw it at Dominick and left him alone outside to die.”
Police confirmed to WNBC that they were investigating reports of four unattended children seen playing with gasoline and lighting objects on fire.
A GoFundMe started by the victim’s family had raised more than $70,000 after just 24 hours.
“His face is about twice the size it normally is,” Rua told WTNH. “He’s swollen with blisters. You can’t even see his beautiful eyes anymore.”
No criminal charges have been filed, and the 8-year-old child has not been identified.