A 20-year-old McDonald’s employee is fighting through excruciating pain in a California hospital burn unit after a colleague doused him in boiling oil during a shift, leaving him with second-degree burns across his face, neck, arm and back in an attack that has shocked his community and prompted a fundraising appeal approaching $40,000.
Jacob Smith was working at a McDonald’s branch in Yuba City, Northern California, when the attack took place. His colleague, identified by police as Jalani Bluett, 23, threw hot oil over him before fleeing the restaurant ahead of police arriving at the scene. Jacob was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center, where he remains in the intensive care unit receiving specialist treatment.
Yuba City Police Lieutenant Michael Bullard told ABC 10 that Jacob was “up walking around, ambulatory and able to communicate” with officers at the scene but had “obvious burn marks on his upper torso and his face area.” Bluett was subsequently arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and serious felony assault resulting in great bodily injury. The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office had earlier issued an at-risk missing person appeal for Bluett following his disappearance from the scene, noting that he was considered at risk “due to a diagnosis and vulnerabilities.” Police have not given a motive for the attack. Jacob has said he has no idea what prompted it.
His mother Amber Smith has been by his bedside throughout and has described her son’s ordeal in heartbreaking terms. “As his mother, it broke my heart when he looked at me and said, ‘Why would he do this to me?'” she wrote in a fundraising appeal for her son. She said Jacob is in “excruciating pain” and that the treatment of his wounds is so severe he has to be kept on very strong pain medication in the ICU burn unit. Doctors have scheduled him for skin graft surgery.
Despite everything, his mother said her son has remained remarkably positive. “He has still been so positive during everything he has been through,” she wrote. But she is clear-eyed about the road ahead. “He now faces a long and painful recovery process that will include ongoing medical care, treatments, and time away from work.”
The attack could not have come at a more painful time for Jacob, who is engaged to be married. “At just 20 years old, Jacob has worked hard to build a future for himself. He is engaged to be married and has always been responsible, hardworking, and committed to those he loves. This unexpected tragedy has created a major setback at a time when he should be looking forward to building his life and planning his future,” his mother wrote.
A GoFundMe campaign set up to help cover lost wages, living expenses and medical costs has raised nearly $40,000 to date.
