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2 months ago
19
Nearly a dozen firefighters and paramedics were fired, and four are facing criminal charges, after a 19-year-old rookie Florida firefighter was allegedly whipped and waterboarded in a violent hazing incident.
The teen firefighter told authorities he was hazed Nov. 26 during his second-ever shift at Marion County Fire Rescue’s Fire Station 21, nicknamed the "friendship" station, after colleagues tried to force him to unlock his phone to watch a viral video he posted on TikTok.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said the incident began when four city employees at the firehouse wanted access to a TikTok video from the rookie and "chased him down" in the parking lot.
"Once they caught him, they removed his pants, took his belt, then began to strike him on the backside with that belt," Woods said during a news conference. "The phone was taken … While they were trying to get into the phone, they took it even a little bit further. They removed his underwear, and then again, began to strike him on his backside, on his bare skin."
English (US) ·