Critically injured 13-year-old got firebombing order on WhatsApp
Quick Look
- A 13-year-old boy remains in critical condition with severe burns after allegedly setting two vehicles on fire in Taylors Hill, Melbourne, following orders received via WhatsApp.
- He was abandoned by two accomplices who fled the scene after a crash.
- Friends describe him as caring and humorous, while police investigate the incident as part of a series of arsons across Melbourne.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The incident is part of a string of similar arson attacks across Melbourne over consecutive nights, including vehicle torching in Springvale, Reservoir, and Oakleigh East, and property damage in Balwyn North and Maidstone following arsons in Keilor and Taylors Hill.
A schoolboy fighting for life after setting himself alight in a botched alleged arson attack received his orders via WhatsApp, the ABC can reveal.
Vision shows two other people leaving the 13-year-old boy for dead after two vehicles were set alight on Woolwich Way in Taylors Hill, in Melbourne's north-west, on Monday morning.
The boy remains in a critical condition with severe burns to his upper and lower body.
The ABC can reveal the trio was tasked with targeting the address by middlemen who had communicated with one another using aliases on WhatsApp in the lead-up to the incident.
After allegedly setting the two cars on fire, the trio had attempted to flee the scene in an allegedly stolen car, but crashed it seconds later.
The two others then ran away, leaving the 13-year-old on fire behind.
Close friends of the boy, who attends a secondary school in Melbourne's northern suburbs, told the ABC they were praying he survived.
One friend, who cannot be named because they are underage, said: "He is a great guy. I felt alive with him."
Another friend told the ABC: "He is more than just a friend to us. He is someone who brought so much laughter and happiness to everyone around him.
We have so many memories together that I'll always hold close to my heart and it would really be sad if we lose him.
He was always making people laugh, even when nobody was expecting it," another close friend said.
"He was caring, loyal and always there for his mates.
We're really worried about him. We're just hoping and praying that he pulls through."
It is understood phone data will be central to the police investigation into the arson, which is among a string of similar incidents across Melbourne over consecutive nights.
Multiple vehicles were torched in Springvale, Reservoir and Oakleigh East overnight.
Yesterday, homes in Balwyn North and Maidstone were damaged by fire, following arsons in Keilor and the Taylors Hill fire involving the 13-year-old.
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The incident is not the first of its kind to leave Victorians with life-threatening or deadly burns.
Last month, a man in his 20s sustained what police described as "life-altering" burns while trying to torch a Melton tobacconist.
Another 52-year-old man spent almost six months in hospital before succumbing to his injuries after attacking a dessert bar in Chapel St.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Police will use phone data from WhatsApp to identify the middlemen involved in directing the arson attack.
Very likely · Within days
The 13-year-old boy will face legal consequences if he survives, given his alleged role in setting the fires.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Who were the middlemen who communicated via WhatsApp aliases?
- What was the specific target address the trio was tasked with attacking?
- Why was the 13-year-old boy chosen for this task?
- Was the stolen car reported to police before the crash?
