iPhone Explodes In Pocket Long Island: Man’s Legs Catch On Fire, Hospitalized For A Week [Video]


An iPhone explodes in a man’s pocket in Long Island as he bent over to pick up some keys. The result put him in the hospital for a week where he was treated for second and third-degree burns.

WABC-TV reports that Erik Johnson experienced the nerve-racking incident on Valentine’s Day. Johnson said the iPhone exploded in his pocket right after he and his brother attended their cousin’s wake. When he moved his body to reach for his keys, the phone made a popping nose.

“… All I heard was pop. Sssssh smoke coming out,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he got an “instant burn” from the iPhone exploding. He says that his “leg just starts going on fire” and that he was unable to access the problematic device because his pockets were melted shut.

“… I think the phone melted my pockets shut so I couldn’t get into it and I had to rip my pants off and throw the pants to the side. A couple of people actually said they could smell my body burning.”

The iPhone owner says getting burned felt like something compared to “branding a bull.”

After the iPhone exploded in his pocket, the Long Island man suffered burns to his inner thigh. He had to spend 10 days at the hospital in the burn unit. He got home Tuesday and now has a nurse changing his bandage twice a day.

According to the report, damage on the iPhone 5C is mostly obvious on the front. On the other side, it shows how hot the phone got when it exploded. The metal case is warped and actually attached to the device.

Johnson used an Apple cable to charge up his cell phone.

The Long Island iPhone owner has hired an attorney — Mike Della. He says Apple needs to be more thorough in the safety of their products.

“Even if this only happened this one time, that’s one time too many. What if this happened to a child?” Della said.

Johnson said he just wants his leg back. Apple tells WABC-TV that they’re looking into the case.

The Inquisitr has written about other Apple iPhones exploding or catching on fire. In October, another man had the same occurrence, but it was an iPhone 6 that exploded in his pocket. Another woman experienced burns on her chest from.

Daily Mail reports that following Johnson’s message about what happened to him on social media, others were shocked.

News that an iPhone explodes in someone’s pocket is definitely something cell phone users don’t want happening to them.

[Photo Credit: WABC-TV News]

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