High School Student Sets Teacher On Fire
A 15-year-old Tennessee student sneaked up on his teacher and set her hair and clothes on fire.
Gabriela Peñalba, a science teacher at West High School in Knoxville, reportedly had her back to the classroom when the teen snuck up behind her and ignited her hair and shirt with a lighter.
Students rushed to the 23-year-old teacher’s aid, helping her extinguish the blaze.
Exploiting the commotion, the student tossed the lighter out of a nearby window and fled, but was soon caught by school resource officers.
The unidentified suspect reportedly confessed to the crime in a police interview, but his motive remains unclear.
He was subsequently charged with aggravated assault and evading arrest and transported to a juvenile detention facility.
Luckily, Peñalba did not suffer serious burns — a result credited to the quick response of her students.
