Relatives say a chain necklace contacted exposed prongs between a charger and extension cord during the night.
WICHITA, Kan. — An 8-year-old boy is home from the hospital after a severe electric shock in his bedroom last week, when a loose connection between a phone charger and an extension cord became energized against the metal chain around his neck, his mother said.
The episode, described by relatives and shown in photos aired by local stations, left the child with distinct ring-shaped burns and a short hospital stay for monitoring. Authorities had not released a formal incident report as of Monday, and no equipment brand had been identified publicly. The family, who identified the boy as Lorenzo Lopez, said he was in stable condition and able to talk about what happened. The account drew regional attention because it mirrors rare past incidents in which conductive jewelry bridged exposed terminals at household voltage.
Family members said Lorenzo went to bed with a device charging nearby. Overnight, movement jostled the charger where it met an extension cord, leaving the plug slightly out and the metal prongs partly exposed. The chain around his neck slipped between the prongs, completing a circuit and shocking him awake. “It was just scary. I almost thought I was going to die,” Lorenzo said in an interview. His mother, Kourtney Pendleton, said the current burned the skin under the chain and left small blisters, while the jolt caused him to gasp and call out.
Relatives said the family disconnected power and sought medical care. At the hospital, clinicians checked the boy’s heart rhythm and treated contact burns along the front and sides of his neck, according to the family. They said doctors explained that even standard household outlets can deliver a hazardous shock when metal bridges live conductors. No fire damage was reported in the room, and bedding did not smolder. The boy’s condition improved over several hours, relatives said, and he was discharged with instructions for dressing changes and follow-up evaluation this week.
The Wichita case surfaced days before the Thanksgiving weekend and was amplified by stations across the Midwest and South through shared video. In earlier widely reported cases, adults have suffered serious burns when necklaces or dog tags contacted exposed charger prongs in bedrooms. Electrical safety organizations note that loose plugs, damaged cords or partially seated adapters can expose live metal at the outlet face. In this case, relatives said the charger and the extension cord appeared ordinary and had not, to their knowledge, been recalled or flagged by regulators.
Officials did not announce a code inspection or a recall inquiry tied to the incident. If opened, a standard review would examine the outlet, the extension cord and charger interface, and the path of current through the chain. Hospitals routinely monitor for arrhythmias after substantial shocks. The family said clinicians focused on wound care and pain control and told them to watch for redness, swelling or fever. Any official report, if released, would list the scene layout, the type of cord and charger, and whether the connection was worn or loosely seated when the child rolled over.
By weekend, relatives said Lorenzo was resting at home, talking with friends and sipping soup between naps. “We’re thankful he’s okay,” Pendleton said, adding that the family has rearranged the room to keep cords away from the bed. A neighbor who stopped by with a card said the boy was cheerful but tired. The family said they plan to keep sharing updates as the burns heal and as doctors decide whether additional treatment is needed.
As of Monday afternoon, the boy remained home in stable condition, according to the family. No public briefing had been scheduled by local officials, and no broader investigation had been announced. A follow-up medical visit is expected later this week.
Author note: Last updated December 1, 2025.