Young boy, 16, left comatose with severe burns after Purmerend explosion, arson
The 16-year-old boy who was injured in an explosion and fire at his home in Purmerend was still comatose and listed in critical condition on Monday. Joey lives at the residence on Maasstraat with his mother, Nathalie. Police believe the home was intentionally targeted on Dec. 15 when assailants apparently used a combination of heavy fireworks and an accelerant.
"He is a very happy boy," said his aunt, Natasja van der Haas, in an interview with RTL Nieuws. "He works as an assistant chef at a bistro in Purmerend. He is crazy about gaming and he likes to chop things up and make videos of it. He is a real family man," she continued. "If there is one person who would have had nothing to do with this, it was Joey. But now he's fighting for his life."
The explosion at 4:10 a.m. triggered a large fire that caused an enormous amount of smoke and forced authorities to evacuate several homes, the municipality said. Although a few people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Joey was the only individual hospitalized.
As the flames swept through the home, Joey's brother made it to the garden from a balcony, and used a ladder to get his mother to safety. But Joey was asleep in the attic, trapped by the flames. He panicked and ran through the flames to try and make his way outdoors.
"His brother saw Joey running towards him like a burning torch," said their aunt, Natasja van der Haas, in an interview with the broadcaster. "He tried to put out the fire with his hands. Joey's skin was stuck to his hands." An older brother does not live at the home, and their father died some time ago.
A neighbor quickly took them in, and put the boy under the shower. Van der Haas ran to the crime scene from her own home, and found her relatives at the neighbor's home. "Joey was clearly in shock. He was still joking, while he was burned from head to toe. That image, that he was laughing at me with an oxygen mask on while his skin was hanging off his back. I am having a hard time with that."
She said on Facebook, "Joey is now still in a coma due to damage to his lungs and throat, unable to breathe on his own. He is also being kept asleep because of the wounds, and that it is too painful when changing and caring for them." She asked that people send get well cards and notes to him as he remains in the burn unit at the Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis in Beverwijk.
Two men from Purmerend were arrested in connection with the incident. A 19-year-old is suspected of arson, and Joey's family wants to press charges of attempted manslaughter. He will appear for an arraignment hearing on Tuesday. The 20-year-old man was brought in on suspicion of preparing a future violent act.
Joey's 23-year-old brother, who spent the night in the home, may have been the intended victim. The act may have been a case of extortion or retaliation, a relative told the news outlet. She remarked that he was rumored to be involved in suspicious dealings, and that he was being threatened and blackmailed.
Van der Haas said Joey's brother was sent into hiding, but she is angry at the perpetrators. She is also upset at the ease with which criminals in the Netherlands seem to be willing to use explosives in extortion schemes, retaliatory crimes, or for simply feeling disrespected. To Van der Haas, it was the attackers' ruthlessness and carelessness that left her young nephew with severe burns from head to toe.
