Minnesota boy burned trying to mimic Jackass stunt

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A 14-year-old boy was burned over 65 per cent of his body after setting himself on fire to mimic a stunt from Jackass: The Movie. Just before clicking the lighter, he stared into a video camera and said: "Don't try this at home."

The boy, who was not identified, has had three major surgeries since the stunt in late March and is expected to survive, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Friday. According to the Dakota County sheriff's office, the boy, from Hastings, Minn., and a friend were doing a "blooper video" for a class project. For one of the stunts, the boy used mineral spirits and a lighter to set himself on fire.

The stunt-filled Jackass: The Movie, which stemmed from a similar show on MTV, includes an actor lighting himself on fire to grill steaks.

The movie includes a warning to not to try the stunts at home and says the producers don't accept submissions. But several serious injuries have been linked to attempts to imitate its stunts.

In Indiana, a 13-year-old boy died in December and five other teens were injured after their speeding van hurtled off a railway track and crashed into a parked car. In New Mexico, a 15-year-old boy died after jumping on the hood of a moving car.