WARNING: This story contains material some may find disturbing. Discretion advised.
Officials from an Ontario university are cautioning against watching a disturbing video circulating on social media, after an apparent suicide attempt by a student was streamed online.
Officials from the University of Guelph confirmed that a student deliberately set a fire in his residence room on Saturday night.
The 20-year-old male, who identified himself online as “Stephen,” broadcast his apparent suicide attempt on an anonymous imageboard website, 4chan.
“This is it. Tonight I will be ending my own life,” read a message on the website, appearing to be posted by Stephen. The message continued by saying he is a longtime user of 4chan and he was going to “finally give back to the community” in what he called “the best way possible.”
The video shows Stephen in his residence room, speaking to the camera. At one point smoke can be seen in the room before the student crawls under a blanket. The video image goes dark, until emergency responders can be seen entering the room and attending to the student a few minutes later.
According to reports, the video was streamed on a separate website Chateen, while 200 people watched.
Some individuals watching the live stream urged Stephen to stop. Others asked viewers to leave the chat room so they could watch – Chateen allows a maximum of 200 concurrent users.
The video, which is still posted online, has made its way through various social media networks and website aggregators. In a press release issued Sunday, University of Guelph officials urged the public not to share the material.
“The University is aware that there is disturbing social media activity circulating about this incident and is urging people not to watch or distribute this hurtful material.”
The fire was reported just after 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. Guelph Fire crews put out the fire in Dundas Hall, and the student was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Two university staff members were also taken to hospital and released.
According to university president Alastair Summerlee, the student is in stable condition in hospital.
The fire was contained to the student’s room, but around 30 other students have been temporarily relocated.
University staff continue to meet with staff and students affected by the incident.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available. Find a local crisis centre or call Kids Help Phone anonymously at 1-800-668-6868.
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