Josiah Mclntosh
(Photo : Cambria County Police Office)

A Pennsylvanian man doused gasoline and attempted to burn into fire a 4-ear-old boy, according to a recently published article.  

Police officers received a report at around 1:15 in the afternoon on Wednesday from a resident reporting a domestic violence at 100 block of DuPont Street. The police department immediately sent officers to respond to the said incident.

When the police officers arrived at a home in Southmont Borough just outside Johnstown, they found the 4-year old boy and the suspect smelling gasoline. Moreover, the defendant was also found possessing a lighter.

The suspect was identified as Josiah James Mclntosh, 27 years old, who is now facing aggravated assault, aggravated assault of less than six, simple assault, simple assault of less than 12, arson, and endangering the welfare of children.

Moreover, the police officers also charged him with two counts of terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person after he punched a man who tried to stop him and hit him with a brick. Additionally, the man got injuries on his head and ear area. 

According to the report, the suspect said that "If we can't get out the demon, I'll burn it out of him," It is not yet known the relationship of Mclntosh and the 4-year-old boy but in another news article it claimed that the suspect is the father of the victim.

Police officers also added that the boy was found naked when they arrived in the suspect's home. Police Officer Christopher Kesslak said: "He splashed gasoline on the little boy and made a reference to setting him on fire." 

Josiah Mclntosh is now under the custody and being housed at the Cambria County Prison and is set for $75,000 bail. He was arraigned by on-call District Judge John Prebish and sent him into prison after he failed to post 10 percent of the bail bond.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled on May 27. Meanwhile, the lawyer of Josiah Mclntosh did not give any comments yet about the charges filed to his client. Many also questioned if the suspect has mental problems or really intended to bur the 4-year-old boy.

This is not the first time that a child had been a victim of a domestic violence. It can be recalled in a previous report by Latin Post, that a Florida woman after she locked a boy in a home filled with dog feces, urine, and fleas.

If the police did not receive a call from the concerned neighbor in the area, the 4-year-old boy could tragically die. It was a supposed to be one of the heinous crimes the country experienced. Meanwhile, it has been observed that domestic violence as been now making headlines as the country slowly reopens its economy.

This means that one of the factors seen in the increase of criminal activities in the country is depression and anxiety as many were furloughed and laid-off during the nationwide lockdown. Most of them might be suffering from mental problems which are brought by the global pandemic. 

Read a related article: