Two teens have been charged with felony arson and assault after an incident last spring that left their 14-year-old friend with horrific injuries. Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced the charges at a press conference Monday, but explained if the teens, also both 14 years old, meet a number of terms and conditions laid out in a pre-plea diversion agreement, the charges will be dismissed.
Just after noon on Saturday, March 1, paramedics rushed junior high school student Jacob Keefer to Cottage Hospital with severe burns to his face, chest, and hands. He was admitted in critical condition and has since endured months of surgeries and skin grafts. Dudley said Keefer, whom she described as "a beautiful and extraordinary young man," is still in a lot of pain but receiving the best possible care. Family friends have stated in online messages that Keefer is struggling with depression about his appearance.
Because the case involves juveniles, many details about the incident are being withheld, Dudley said. In the days after Keefer was burned, however, some of his classmates claimed he and the other two teens were taking part in what's known as the "Fire Challenge." Participates of the dare game popularized by social media douse themselves in lighter fluid, rubbing alcohol, or other accelerant and light themselves on fire before jumping into a pool or shower to extinguish the flames.