HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Less than three months after a Connecticut youngster set himself on fire imitating a stunt on an MTV program, a Hartford boy suffered second-degree burns copying the same show, police said.
Jose Serrano, 11, said he was imitating the MTV show "Jackass" with several other children on Tuesday when he wrapped a rag soaked with engine degreaser around his leg and lit it with a lighter, Hartford police spokesman Neil Dryfe said. The flame burned Serrano's pant leg and his skin before it was extinguished.
He was treated at the Children's Medical Center and released Tuesday.
In a written statement, MTV pointed out that the show carries a TV-MA rating, and a written disclaimer insisting that nobody try the stunts at home.
"While we don't accept responsibility, obviously we feel horrible when a young person does something to hurt themselves," the network said.
Jason Lind, the 13-year-old Torrington, Conn., boy who set himself ablaze in January while imitating the same show, last week urged others not to play with gasoline and fire.
In an episode Lind saw, Jackass host Johnny Knoxville dressed in a flame-retardant suit with meat attached and laid down on a burning outdoor grill. People stood by with fire extinguishers.
Lind and two friends poured gasoline on his legs and set him on fire after watching the show. He suffered second- and third-degree burns on his hands and legs and spent 36 days in a Boston hospital.
Lind's lawyer said the family has not decided whether to sue MTV or the producers of "Jackass."
Since Lind's injury, MTV has moved the show from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT on Sundays and changed the wording of the disclaimer aired during the show.
