York police are seeking witnesses after a 16-year-old was seriously burned in a bonfire at a bush party in East Gwillimbury.
Shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday, officers were called to an area behind the Holland Landing Community Centre on Yonge Street for a report of an injury.
When officers arrived on scene, they found a 16-year-old boy suffering from “significant burns.”
The teen victim sustained serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
After investigating, police determined that approximately 150 teenagers from high schools in the area had attended the bush party that night.
At some point, a group of four males joined the party and instigated several altercations with the teenaged party-goers.
Police believe a suspect threw the victim into the bonfire during one of those altercations.
The suspect is described as a black male who is between 17 and 19 years old, approximately five-foot-eleven to six-foot-one with a thin but muscular build. He has short black hair and speaks with a thick Jamaican accent.
Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call the York Regional Police #1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
