Mother charged after son sets himself on fire for Facebook video

[August 13, 2014]  WINSTON-SALEM N.C. (Reuters) - A North Carolina woman is accused of helping record her teenage son set himself on fire after he doused his body with fingernail polish as part of a social media stunt, police said.

Janie Lachelle Talley, 41, watched as her 16-year-old son attempted to complete a "fire challenge" video for Facebook on July 29, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said on Monday. The boy suffered minor burns on his chest and neck.

The video showed others put out the fire.

"The mother of the victim was present and aware of what her son doing and facilitated the recording," a police statement said.

Police arrested Talley on Aug. 6 and charged her with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, according to the statement.

The "fire challenge" has been spreading on social media with people pouring flammable liquid on themselves, lighting it, trying to quickly extinguish the fire and then posting a video online.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Bill Trott)

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