I cannot believe they would go that far!

I just saw this this morning on the today show, it is absolutely horrible. It is such a terrible thing that kids can do this to another child and over something that was not his fault, the boy that was set on fire was simply doing the right thing by turning those kids in and telling the truth. I don't know how to say this nicely but the children now a days are so completely different and disrespectful from the way they used to be. I also hate to say that I am afraid these and future generations are the ones that are bringing this world down...somewhere kids lost respect for not only their own parents but others as well and it is not for the better, there is so much hate. I think the boys should be punished as adults like they suggest....this boy is suffering and I think the boys who did it should as well.

I think those teens should go to juvenile prison. I also think their parents should have to pay restitution, even if money can't make up for the pain that poor teen is and will be suffering. Where were the parents?! Why were the teens free after trying to steal a bike?! We need to stop treating juvenile crime like we did 50 years ago when kids still had parents that parented. Teen crime is on a par with adult crime now and the consequences should be stepped up if we want to stop it. We need to fine or jail neglectful parents, too. If a kid commits a crime a second time, call the parent in and impose an activity with them and the teen. Third crime, parent and kid both do time. Maybe that would work.

Hi Thoroughrob, I am so disgusted with this, those teens should got to prison for a long time, I have been saying that conscription should be brought back and those teens should be in the army if they are too young, well they should go to prison for young offenders and not pampered there by so called do gooders. They should be horse whipped. Tamara

Well the sad part of this is it depends on their ages. To me they should be tried as adults because of the violence of their crime. I don't think some juvenile hall is what they need, they need hard time so they can see just what kind of people belong behind bars. We're talking premeditated assult if not murder here all over being caught for stealing? Sad group of teens that is.

that's terrible. i hope they get punished. there isn't any punishment that could equal that though, unless they actually get burned as well. I really don't believe teens do not know what they are doing. i really think it's a shame that these people get away from crimes just because they are teens. If they don't get punished enough just because they are considered minors, then by all means punished all their parents and guardians. there should be people who are responsible for this happening. the poor teen whom they burned deserves protection and justice! The world is going nowhere because a lot of us people are not doing anything.

Teens nowadays is very aggressive, expressive and would really do things beyond our thinking that they are capable of doing serious offenses..they must have a serious counseling and discuss the crime they have committed and they must pay the crime it is where they will learned there mistakes...

i just read this the other day and i was sick over it. WTF is wrong with our children today that they think something like this is ok. why would they do this that that boy over a bike or over him telling about a bike being stolen. they should rot in jail

They should be tried for attempted murder. Setting that boy on fire could have killed him and those teens are old enough to know the repercussions of fire on skin and the danger it poses. If they are old enough to know better and still did it, then they should be tried like an adult would be tried if it was an adult who did something like that.

There is a saying among teens called "snitches get stitches" here in St. Pete. Stupid I know. When we we teens it was usually a one on one fist fight. Not these days. They are out to kill. What do I think should happen to those invovled? Attempted murder sounds good! What idiots! My god that poor kid. I have a friend up north that was severly burned all over his body at work, it`s the most painful thing to have happen to you. They should also take pics of the teen and make those little brats look at what they did.Poster size pics all over the cell the will be in for years and years cause thats where they will be. That just gets me so angry! Everytime my 18 year old says that saying I want to smack him.

I think everyone of them should have the very same thing done to them. If they don't start making examples out of some of these hoodlums they are never going to stop doing these heinous things. That is horrible.

I read that story and was very saddened by it. The kids who did this to this poor boy should be locked up for many years. They knew full well what they were doing at the time. There is no reason why they shouldn't be punished severely.

As a parent myself I feel there is no justice system great enough to satisfy my anger. I would have probably gone to jail for exacting my own ideal of carmetic justice on those kids.

Oh thats real bad news. I feel sorry for the boy who has had to go through all this. Setting someone on fire is a terrible thing to do, I am glad he survived all this. The kids involved should spend the rest of their lives in jail, nothing less. This is like murder, in fact the victim will be suffering for a very long time. So they can sit in jail and think about what they have done.

Hi Rob. This has been followed on my local news, and happened in a city not far from me. It is frightening what teens, and even young children, do in spite and revenge these days...and atrocious. I don't know what, but something drastic needs to be done! This is not how it was just a decade ago. More and more, the legal system is trying these violent teens as adults, with adult punishments. But even that has not been a deterent yet. For teens this age, who know better, I do believe they should be tried as adults, and not children. They obviously knew before hand what they were doing was wicked, deadly, and against the law. Karen

Humans are savage in nature. Lack of a third person watching over them, god or authority, brings out that in-built color in ppl. Violence breeds violence and violence shuns violence. If an animal tastes human flesh, it no longer is afraid of them, let alone any more curious. Thats why maneaters are put down, coz they're bound not to fear to do it again. If any of that makes sense, I'd say the punishment should fit the crime. Take care.

That is attempted murder and I would hope those teens are tried as adults and given the maximum sentences! I would love to see them get a sentence of at least 40 years. I know that won't happen because our judicial system here sucks but that is what I would like to see happen, anyway. It's partly the parents' fault, partly society's fault. Kids today are growing up way too fast and pushed out into the streets to get them out from underfoot and, when there is nothing structured for these kids to do, they almost always start getting into trouble. They will go so far against the law, then go a bit farther the next time, and the next, and so on. Then, there are the gangs where they have to "prove" themselves by committing whatever crime the gang leaders say before they are accepted. When these mentalities get together in a group, that's when the real troubles start. I believe each one is trying to show the others just how far they'll go, trying to seem tougher than the others.

I saw something about this on TV this morning but missed the details. I saw the upset mother and I gathered something horrible had happened and I was right. What are these young men going to become? They set another on fire! OMG, they have wrecked the poor kid’s life and what will become of them? These are not small children; they are teens who knew darn well what would happen if you set someone alight! What kind of adults are these kids going to make, for goodness sake, I cannot believe it!! My heart goes out to the boy and his family. I sincerely pray that he will pull through this. This has made me feel sick...

How inconsiderate jerks could these teenagers be, common they haven't got their heads or what, just for letting them in for the police on account to stealing a bicycle, and they do this to that kid!... i think it is more through influence of some kind, probably movies and all, that is where most people learn violence and all, it is sad to hear such cases, they need to learn a lesson and pretty hard one! they are selfish moral less people who only think about themselves i guess, step in to some others shoes and feel that fellow's pain! it is such a sorrow for his family to have him suffering for such a minor reason... i can only hope for the world to become a less violent place, God help that kid, i am sorry for him , hope he does a speedy recovery!

I can't believe it, teenagers are really impulsive they dont care what will be the outcome of there actions. I think that group will be punished because they almost kill the child because of revenge. That is so unreasonable and unfair to the child who does the right thing.

In our world now, there are lot of horrible things happened which can be happen also to a little kid and teens. One aspects here is an influence of television with no parental guidance and they see the environment is getting worse and parents just tolerate the doings of their child. The parents don't have time for their children because of their busy schedule, just a minute check is hard enough for them.