Boiling water poured on 11-year-old girl's face at sleepover

Jamoneisha Merritt suffers severe second-degree burns after assault

An 11-year-old girl was left with severe burns to her face and shoulders after her friend allegedly poured boiling water over her at a sleepover.

Jamoneisha Merritt was rushed to Harlem Hospital in New York on Tuesday morning, while a 12-year-old girl was arrested and charged with assault.

The victim suffered second-degree burns on her body and reportedly endured severe pain for hours as doctors tried to soothe her injuries.

​Jamoneisha's cousin, Yolanda Richardson, told WABC-TV the two girls had argued, and the 12-year-old told the younger girl “if she went to sleep they were going to do something to her”.

It was allegedly part of a growing social game called the "Hot Water Challenge" in which an unsuspecting victim has hot water thrown on them, according to NY1. The challenge is popular among teenagers and last week a girl in Florida died after drinking boiling water.

Jamoneisha fell asleep on a sofa and awoke at 4am to someone pouring boiling water over her. Much of the skin was burned off her face and neck, and she remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Her family said she was usually “a bundle of joy” but had been left “emotionally scarred” by the incident, according to NBC News.

"I could only be with her [in hospital] for a little bit, because I can't hold myself together," her cousin added. "I don't want her to see me cry."

The 12-year-old girl was charged as a juvenile and the case will be handled in a family court. No other children are facing charges at this stage, police said.