A teenage girl sustained severe injuries, including a broken jaw, multiple facial fractures, missing teeth, and burns, after a man threw a car shock absorber into a bonfire at a Halloween party. The incident occurred on October 30, when Jaidynn Penberthy, 16, was attending a party near Lake Pleasant.
According to Phoenix police, the object ignited an explosive blast that struck Penberthy in the face. She was approximately 10 feet from the fire when the explosion occurred. Her brother, Ethan Glass, told AZ Family that Penberthy was rendered unconscious by the impact and had to be airlifted to the hospital. She has since undergone facial reconstruction surgery and is scheduled for additional operations.
Friends at the party administered first aid, with one friend performing a sternum rub to try and regain Penberthy's pulse, which her brother stated was lost for about a minute. While others were hit by debris, Penberthy was the only one requiring immediate medical attention.
"The way the shrapnel, the piece, whatever it was, hit her in the face, it struck her almost square in the mouth, nose, side going down kind of side of the face, just all around," Glass described.
Penberthy is currently conscious but unable to speak due to her injuries. Her family is communicating with her through written messages. "She’s been crying a lot just from being in so much pain and just like, it’s hard to breathe," Glass added.
Authorities are searching for a suspect described as being between 16 and 25 years old, who left the scene before police arrived. Sergeant Chris Berrelleza of the Phoenix police expressed empathy for the victim, stating, "We empathize with the victim and the injuries she sustained pertaining to what transpired."
Glass has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover Penberthy's extensive medical expenses, which has already raised over $10,000. The family urges anyone with information to contact the authorities.