Teen dies after reentering burning home to fetch cell phone

Thursday 25th December, 10:08 AM JST

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14 Comments

badge123 at 04:17 PM JST - 25th December

Another one for the darwin award nominations.
jipster at 04:27 PM JST - 25th December

would have gone back in for a human?
borscht at 04:44 PM JST - 25th December

I've told my kids that in case of a fire, they are the most important thing to get out of the house. Things can be replaced; people can't. Condolences to his parents. What did they do to stop him, I wonder. Still, losing a child is tough on them.
Altria at 05:06 PM JST - 25th December

Sure it's a tragedy, a young guy died needlessly. But am I and many others really horrible people for finding this a slightly amusing commentary on Japanese society and the current generation of teenagers? Why are the Darwin Awards so popular worldwide? Crying fake tears for someone you don't know certainly isn't going to bring them back.
bobbafett at 05:28 PM JST - 25th December

but went back inside later saying he did not have his cell phone

who was around to hear him say it and not stop him from going back in?
FreeInJapan at 05:32 PM JST - 25th December

Well, I would hope it was at least a REALLY NICE cell phone... like an iPhone or something...
smithinjapan at 05:32 PM JST - 25th December

Sad story, but it's the idiocy of the whole thing that makes it even sadder. The poor kid probably realized that in his last minutes.
shiuu at 05:49 PM JST - 25th December

I'm sitting here laughing at the assortment of headlines. In the past two days we've got:

Unemployed loser kicks his elderly father to death for sitting in the wrong spot.

Parents convicted of forcing daughter into prostitution to pay her cell phone bill.

Teen escapes burning building only to die by stupidly running back in to his death to try and retrieve his his cell phone.

With citizens like these, is it any wonder Japan's going to hell in a hand-basket?
some14some at 06:00 PM JST - 25th December

What about his parents? safe and sound?
kwatt at 06:45 PM JST - 25th December

He thought that cell phone was very important as same as life. How stupid he was! He could buy another cell phone later.
onewrldoneppl at 09:14 PM JST - 25th December

sounds like an AU commercial in the making.
Disillusioned at 11:32 PM JST - 25th December

Now, what was that about moral education and the dependence on cell phones? Sad, but not surprising.
Helly at 04:07 AM JST - 26th December

Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest in practice, I'd say.
presto345 at 02:24 PM JST - 26th December

I cried when I read this, being a father of two kids.