Youth Cleared of Charges He Set Boy Ablaze

Charges against a teen-ager accused of dousing a 6-year-old with gasoline and then setting him on fire were dismissed Tuesday after the burned child testified that the incident was an accident.

Los Padrinos Juvenile Court Commissioner Jerry Moore, after hearing from the victim and several witnesses, dismissed charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon against the 14-year-old boy, whose name was withheld because of his age.

The May 15 incident took place behind a Cudahy motel where both boys live. They were playing with three other friends at the time. The victim, Phil Kowal Jr., suffered first- and second-degree burns on his face, neck and left arm.

While being treated at the scene, the boy accused the teen-ager of setting him on fire. But when Kowal testified Tuesday, “he said it was an accident,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Cathy Hroma said. The child admitted to “making a mistake” when he told police the older boy dumped gas on him and then put a match to him during a fight.