A Halloween party in the Arizona desert turned into a nightmare when someone allegedly tossed a car part into a bonfire, triggering a powerful explosion that sent metal debris flying into a crowd and left a 16-year-old girl with devastating facial injuries.
Jaidynn Penberthy, of Peoria, Arizona, was standing approximately 10 feet from the flames when the explosion struck her during a gathering near New River Road and Saddle Mountain Road, close to Lake Pleasant, on Friday, October 30.
The blast, which occurred around 10:30 p.m., knocked the teenager unconscious and injured several other partygoers, according to Phoenix police.
Investigators believe someone threw a vehicle shock absorber into the bonfire approximately three to five minutes before it exploded.
The sudden blast sent fragments of metal flying toward people gathered around the fire, with Jaidynn suffering the most serious injuries.
Her older brother, Ethan Glass, described the terrifying aftermath, saying strangers rushed to help his sister while her friends desperately tried to get her medical attention.
“There was a lot of blood,” Glass told Arizona’s Family. “It was like a scene out of a horror movie.”
According to Glass, one young woman attempted to check Jaidynn’s responsiveness by performing a sternum rub. He said his sister may have briefly lost her pulse, although that account has not been independently confirmed.
Friends rushed Jaidynn to get help while calling 911, and she was eventually airlifted to a specialized burn center for emergency treatment.
Doctors discovered that the teenager had suffered a broken jaw, multiple facial fractures, damaged or missing teeth and burns.
The injuries were so severe that she required facial reconstructive surgery, with doctors anticipating additional operations and extensive dental treatment during her recovery.
Glass said the flying debris struck his sister across the lower portion of her face, causing injuries that have left her struggling with pain and difficulty breathing.
The teenager has since regained consciousness, but she remains unable to speak and has been communicating with her family through writing.
Her brother said she is grateful to be alive but remains confused about exactly what happened.
“She’s been crying a lot just from being in so much pain,” Glass said, describing how difficult it has been to watch his younger sister struggle.
Despite the severity of her injuries, the family says Jaidynn is slowly improving.
However, her recovery is expected to be lengthy, with additional reconstructive procedures, dental work and ongoing medical care likely to be necessary.
As the teenager fights to recover, police are searching for the person responsible for throwing the object into the fire.
Investigators described the individual as a white male between 16 and 25 years old who allegedly left the gathering before officers arrived.
Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or announced any arrests.
Phoenix police are now asking partygoers and anyone else with information to come forward with cellphone videos, photographs or social media posts that could help identify the person involved.
Investigators believe footage recorded before the explosion could provide crucial evidence about who placed the object in the flames and what happened in the minutes leading up to the blast.
Glass said he cannot understand why anyone would deliberately throw a potentially dangerous object into a fire surrounded by young people.
“Being kind of an older brother definitely makes me frustrated a lot,” he said. “I really don’t understand why he would do something of the sort. It makes no sense.”
The family has also established an online fundraiser to help cover Jaidynn’s medical expenses and the costs of her ongoing recovery.
According to the fundraising page, the teenager faces multiple surgeries, dental procedures and additional evaluations as doctors work to address her injuries.
For her family, the most important thing is helping Jaidynn heal while police determine who was responsible for the explosion.
The incident has also highlighted the dangers of placing unfamiliar objects into bonfires. Certain automotive components contain pressurized materials that can rupture violently when exposed to extreme heat, sending dangerous fragments in unpredictable directions.
Authorities have not released a final forensic explanation of the explosion, but investigators continue to focus on the shock absorber allegedly thrown into the flames.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Phoenix police or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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