The ABC has reported that the 13-year-old, who attends a secondary school in Melbourne's northern suburbs, is fighting for life after being engulfed in flames on Woolwich Way in Taylors Hill on Monday morning. Vision of the incident shows two other people leaving the boy for dead after two vehicles were set alight.
The three individuals had attempted to flee the scene in an allegedly stolen car but crashed seconds later. The two others then ran away, leaving the boy on fire. He suffered severe burns to his upper and lower body and remains in a critical condition.
Close friends of the boy, who cannot be named because they are underage, told the ABC they were praying he survived. "He is a great guy. I felt alive with him," one friend said. Another said: "He is more than just a friend to us. He is someone who brought so much laughter and happiness to everyone around him. We have so many memories together that I'll always hold close to my heart and it would really be sad if we lose him. No one deserves that. He was a funny person with so much love for everyone around him."
A third friend added: "He was always making people laugh, even when nobody was expecting it. He was caring, loyal and always there for his mates. We're really worried about him. We're just hoping and praying that he pulls through."
It is understood phone data will be central to the police investigation into the arson, which is among a string of similar incidents across Melbourne over consecutive nights. Multiple vehicles were torched in Springvale, Reservoir and Oakleigh East overnight, following fires in Balwyn North and Maidstone, and earlier arsons in Keilor and Taylors Hill. The incident is not the first to leave Victorians with life-threatening or deadly burns; last month a man was airlifted to hospital after a similar attack.