15-year-old charged in high school laptop fire believed to be part of TikTok challenge

BELLEVILLE, N.J. (WABC) - A 15-year-old student from New Jersey is facing charges after a laptop caught fire in a high school classroom in what police suspect was part of a social media challenge trending on TikTok.

The fire was reported around 9:15 a.m. Thursday at Belleville High School, prompting an evacuation. First responders found smoke coming from a charred Chromebook that had been removed from the building by a staff member.

“We were some of the last kids to leave the building. I didn’t see the smoke at all, but I could smell it and it didn’t smell pretty,” said a student named Jake.

Authorities believe a 15-year-old student intentionally put the lead from a mechanical pencil into one of the laptop’s ports as part of a social media challenge that involves forcing objects into Chromebooks, causing them to start smoking. This can damage the lithium battery inside and poses a serious fire risk.

The 15-year-old is now charged with third-degree arson and criminal mischief.

“You see in a lot of the videos when the laptops start to smoke and the battery starts to fail, you’ll see… turbulence, smoke pushing out at a rapid pace,” said Belleville Fire Capt. Chase Hamilton. “That puts the battery in what’s called thermal runaway. At that point, the batteries are just going to continue to overheat to the point that it could explode.”

Fire officials say even if it appears the laptop has stopped smoking, there is still a potential for danger.

“What happens with lithium batteries? They’ll reignite,” said Bellville Fire Chief John Olivieri. “Most people don’t know that. So, they’ll bring it back into the house or put it away, think it’s OK, and then hours later, we’ll have a problem.”

The TikTok trend has prompted police and fire departments to share warnings of not only the potential dangers but also the potential consequences. Belleville Police Chief Mark Minichini says he doesn’t believe this was done in a malicious manner but says teens aren’t understanding the ramifications.

“We don’t want to put students at risk. We don’t want to put our first responders at risk, responding to a scene that they really shouldn’t have to,” Minichini said. “So, the message is ‘Parents, please watch your kids.’ There are serious implications for doing something wrong like this.”

TikTok has taken action by blocking the search option for Chromebook fires and other similar searches.