McDonald’s shift manager burned over 22% of body in alleged hot oil attack
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YUBA CITY, California — A routine shift at McDonald’s turned into a nightmare for 20-year-old Jacob Smith when police say a coworker threw hot cooking oil on him, leaving him with second-degree burns across 22% of his body.
The attack happened at a McDonald’s in Yuba City, California.
According to police, Smith, a shift manager and longtime employee, suffered severe burns to his face, arm, back and upper torso.
He was rushed to the hospital and now faces what his family says will be a long and painful recovery.
“My son is God-fearing. He would give anything to anybody,” his mother, Amber Smith, told ABC10. “If he had $5 in his wallet and you needed it, he would just give it to you.”
Amber says her son, who is engaged to be married, has always been hardworking and focused on building a future. Now, instead of planning for the next chapter of his life, he is recovering from devastating injuries and coping with mounting medical bills and lost income.
“As his mother, it broke my heart when he looked at me and said, ‘Why would he do this to me?'” Amber wrote on a GoFundMe page created to help cover expenses during his recovery.
Police arrested 23-year-old Jalani Bluett in connection with the attack. He faces multiple felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and assault resulting in great bodily injury.
Investigators say a motive has not yet been determined.
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