GoFundMe Raises $362K; Community Rallies Around Burned Bridgeport Boy

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A GoFundMe for the 6-year-old Bridgeport boy who was hospitalized with severe burns over the weekend has raised over $362,000 as the community continues to support his family.

Dominick Krankall suffered second- and third-degree burns on Sunday, and his mom claimed the injuries came from their 8-year-old neighbor who covered a ball with gasoline, lit it on fire, and threw it at her son.

In the days following the incident, Krankall's family has received donations through the GoFundMe and offers to help them move out of their current home — where, his parents claim, Dominick has been bullied by his neighbor in the past.

"I'm telling Dominick, all these people love you and care about you," his father, Aaron Krankall, told Fox 61. "Everyone's really just helping. The whole community is coming together."

In an update on the GoFundMe page, Krankall's sister, Kayla Deegan, thanked donors for the "outpouring support and love" her family has received.

"We are speechless and beyond grateful we have such an amazing community and a RALLY behind Dominick," Deegan wrote.

At around 4 p.m. Sunday, officers were dispatched to Louisiana Avenue on a report of a child burned, Bridgeport police said.

Police said initial reports indicated that "up to four unattended children were seen playing with gasoline and lighting objects on fire."

Related:

• Child Burned After On-Fire Ball Was Thrown At Him, Mom Claims
• Bridgeport Child Burned; 'Exact Cause' Under Investigation: Reports

But Deegan told NBC Connecticut that the family's neighbor attacked her brother.

"As soon as he walked down the stairs, the bully called his name and lured him over around the corner," she said. "And in a matter of seconds he came back around the corner screaming, saying 'Mommy, they lit me on fire.'"

Krankall is currently recovering in Bridgeport Hospital's burn unit, and hospital officials told the Washington Post that his condition is "fair" — which, they said, is better than critical or serious.

This morning, he watched from his hospital room as police cruisers, fire trucks and SWAT vehicles paraded down the street in a show of support attended by Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, police officers and other first responders, WFSB reported.

"We're with you, we're with you 100 percent," Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim said, as reported by WFSB. "I hope it's a message that will continue to give him the strength that he needs as he goes through from here forward."

Police said the incident remains under investigation. The neighbor's family denied the accusations to News 12 Connecticut and said they've received threats on Facebook.