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MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A 17-year-old Marion County teen has been accused of intentionally splashing gasoline onto another juvenile and igniting him during a late-night gathering on Kaufman Island at Lake Kerr, according to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested Brady Ming, 17, on one count of aggravated battery (F.S. 784.045) after investigators said they obtained witness statements and video evidence showing a juvenile defendant with a gas can pouring and splashing fuel that ultimately caught the victim on fire.
According to investigators, the incident happened during the night of Jan. 10 into Jan. 11, 2026, when a small group of juveniles traveled by jet ski to the island, built a campfire because of the cold, and drank alcohol. A juvenile witness told investigators the group was having a good time and no one appeared upset, but alleged Ming was pouring gasoline on the fire and later used the gas can to create a trail and splash gasoline toward the juvenile victim, causing the victim to ignite.
The affidavit states the victim ran into the lake to try to extinguish the flames. Afterward, the juveniles returned to a witness’s home before deciding to go to the hospital. The victim was later treated for significant burn injuries and transferred to Shands Children’s Hospital, according to the report.
Investigators said the case began moving forward after the victim’s family learned a video existed that contradicted what they initially believed happened, prompting a call to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives later interviewed multiple juveniles and reviewed video they said depicted the incident.
During a crime scene response to Kaufman Island, investigators reported finding an off-white gas can near the remnants of a campfire, noting it appeared to match the container seen in the video. Forensic technicians also collected other items from the scene and documented the area, the affidavit states.
Detectives also attempted to recover the video from a juvenile witness’s cellphone, but the extraction was unsuccessful and the video could not be located on the device, according to the report. Investigators noted they were shown a clipped version of a video depicting the victim already engulfed in flames running toward the shoreline.
The affidavit states investigators attempted to contact Ming and his mother about the incident, but his mother, identified in the report as Laura Ming, advised they would not speak at the direction of an attorney.
Jail records associated with the affidavit list the bond status as no bond for the charge.
Because the victim and key witnesses are juveniles, The Space Coast Rocket is not identifying them.
