Proving that the GameFAQs community members can always get stupider, a teenage boy bragged on the gaming advice site’s message board about burning down a Pamyra church, adding that he was “LOLing” over the arson attack.
Jediknight12345 posted on GamesFAQs’ Current Events board Wednesday night asking the rest of the community if they felt he should burn down a church and a school. Despite moderators removing the post, by Thursday the poster was already telling his fellow GameFAQs members that he’d gone ahead and done it. He made light of the fire, which spread through Mission Hill Baptist Church, even posting camera phone pictures to prove to the skeptics that it did in fact, happen. He added that the best bit was how quickly the fire spread, and explained he started “three little fires” on computers, bibles and some towels put in an oven.
One’s first thought would reasonably be that the kid was bragging up something he hadn’t done in a misguided attempt to look cool, but a number of GameFAQs members, the ones who weren’t praising him, forwarded the details on, and eventually it turned out that there was enough evidence to link Jediknight12345 with the fire.The boy was identified and arrested. He is now in the custody of juvenile authorities on charges of arson and burglary.
I’m just glad Alone in the Dark isn’t released yet. The last thing anyone needs is people blaming this on a game where you set fire to half of New York.
[Thanks to Brian Szabelski.]