2 Shore Men Imprisoned For Setting Friend On Fire As 'Prank'

MAYS LANDING, NJ — A "prank" landed five-year prison sentences for two Atlantic County men. Brandon Perez and David Sult were sentenced Friday for setting a man on fire while he slept on the couch.

Sult and Perez sprayed lighter fluid on the back of the victim's clothing March 15 at Sult's home. Perez ignited it, and the victim suffered severe burns on his back.

The men claimed an electronic smoking device causes accidental burns, but investigation showed they intentionally set the fire.

Sult, of Mays Landing, and Perez, of Hammonton, pleaded guilty last November to second-degree aggravated assault. They must serve at least 85 percent of their prison sentence before parole eligibility and then three years of supervised release.

After the attack, the victim drove 40 minutes to his mother's house while battling severe agony and physical shock. An ambulance rushed him to a burn trauma center in Philadelphia, according to a GoFundMe raising money for him and his family.

The victim suffered severe burn trauma on his entire back. His left arm is mangled and unusable. He spent six weeks in critical and intensive care, dropped 30 pounds and lost most of his muscle mass. He suffered permanent nerve damage.

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