A 16-year-old girl is unable to speak after a car shock absorber thrown onto a bonfire exploded at a Halloween party in Arizona, sending red-hot shrapnel into her face. Jaidynn Penberthy suffered multiple facial fractures, a broken jaw, and serious burns in the incident, which took place on October 30 in the desert near New River Road and Saddle Mountain Road.
Explosion at desert bonfire party
Jaidynn was standing about 10 feet from the fire when the blast knocked her unconscious, her brother Ethan Glass told KPHO, an Arizona news outlet. The explosion happened at approximately 10.30pm local time and left multiple people at the party injured by debris, Phoenix police said.
Police said a large group of young adults had gathered around the bonfire when someone allegedly tossed an object into the flames. Around three to five minutes later, the object detonated, sending debris flying into the crowd.
Injuries and emergency response
In the moments after the explosion, people at the scene rushed to help. Glass told KPHO that strangers attempted to assist his sister while her friends drove her to get medical attention and called emergency services. One girl performed a sternum rub to check Jaidynn's pulse, and Glass said his sister may have gone without a pulse for about a minute.
“There was a lot of blood,” he told KPHO. “It was like a scene out of a horror movie.”
Jaidynn was airlifted to a burn centre, where she received treatment for a broken jaw, multiple facial fractures, missing teeth, and burns, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser established by her family. The debris struck her across the face, leaving injuries that required facial reconstructive surgery, Glass told KPHO.
Recovery and police appeal
Jaidynn is now awake but cannot speak and communicates with her family through writing, according to Glass. He said she is doing better and is grateful to be alive, although she remains confused about what happened. Glass told KPHO that his sister has been struggling with pain and difficulty breathing following the explosion.
“She’s been crying a lot just from being in so much pain and just like, it’s hard to breathe,” he said.
Her family's GoFundMe will help with expenses during what they described as a lengthy recovery, with funds going toward medical needs including further surgeries, dental work, and ongoing treatment. Glass said he hopes authorities find the person responsible for the explosion, telling KPHO that he has struggled to understand why someone would throw the object into the fire.
Phoenix police said in a statement on Wednesday, November 4, that they are still seeking information about the explosion and are asking anyone who attended the gathering or may have photos, videos, or social media content related to the incident to come forward. Investigators believe the person who threw the object into the fire left before authorities arrived, describing the individual as a white male between 16 and 25 years old.
