Sheriff sharing video of North Dakota teen on fire to prevent future foolish behavior

FORMAN, N.D. — It’s a horrifying 14-second video.

But a local sheriff wants it seen to save lives.

The video shows a teenager erupting in flames during an underage drinking party on a farm.

“The more I watch it, the more I see the intent in this,” said Sargent County Sheriff Travis Paeper, who said he’s watched the video dozens of times this week.

Investigators say the incident happened during a party at a farm west of Forman early Sunday morning. About three dozen kids between the ages of 14 and 19 were in attendance.

Paeper said he wasn’t prepared for what he was going to see when he first saw the video.

“The brake cleaner alone without the fire could have been deadly. I believe the young man was seconds away from having much more serious injuries.”

No adults were home during the party.

“The guy in the camo, he’s carrying the brake cleaner. It’s behind his back, he’s intending to hide it from the view of the victim. The victim is being distracted by these other guys,” Paeper exlained as he watched the video frame by frame.

Another teen has his phone out.

“He’s anticipating something is going to happen,” mentioned Paeper.

When you hit play you see a 15-year-old boy become engulfed in flames.

Fortunately two teens at the top of the stairs were able to put the fire out.

“This is one of those fires that is not going to be extinguished easily it’s like starting oil on fire, so these young people did a hell of a job putting this fire out,” Paeper said.

The boy suffered second and third degree burns to his neck and head.

He’s back at school but will need further specialized treatment.

“We really haven’t ascertained why this took place, I’m not sure if it is a prank gone wrong or what, we may not know that answer,” Paeper said.

Lance Tyler, 19, has been charged with aggravated assault. Police say he was the one who used the torch. Another teen is expected to face charges in juvenile court for spraying the brake cleaner.

“These kids need to understand some of these stunts that they pull are dangerous and it could end a life,” Paeper said.

While some have applauded the sheriff’s office for pursuing charges, others have been critical. Police were not made aware of the incident until 18 hours after it happened.

“How would they feel if that young man died or been in a burn unit down in Hennepin County, how blown out of proportion is it then,” Paeper said.

Paeper says after they get a better grasp on the fire investigation, they’ll look further into the underage drinking party.

If convicted, Tyler faces up to five years in prison.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.