Charging Toy Helicopter Melted Into Brick Boy's Desk, Father Says: Report

BRICK, NJ — A Brick Township man says a toy helicopter melted into the desk in his son's bedroom while it was charging overnight, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press reported Robert Thanel's 10-year-old son had the toy, a Tough Copter made by Protocol New York, plugged in and charging on the floor near his bed last week. Thanel said he decided to move the toy to his son's desk.

The next morning, Thanel told the Press, they found the copter melted, along with heat damage to a camcorder that was sitting nearby and soot on the ceiling.

Protocol New York manufactures the Tough Copter, which is currently listed as unavailable on several electronics websites. The Protocol website lists a Tough Copter II, which retails for $79.99, according to the site. Both of the radio-controlled helicopters are powered by a lithium-ion battery, according to the site, which sells backup batteries for the toy.

There do not appear to be any other public reports of fires or issues associated with the helicopter. A request for comment by the Patch from Protocol officials was not immediately returned.

Lithium batteries have been blamed for a number of high-profile electronics fires, including problems with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled in late 2016, and hoverboards, the popular 2015 Christmas gift that were linked to a number of fires.

Lithium-ion battery failures can occur when microscopic metal particles come into contact with other parts of the battery cell, leading to a short circuit within the cell, according to Battery University.

A radio-controlled helicopter, by Steven Lilley, via Flickr under Creative Commons license