On March 12, 2021, Steven Carl Amenhauser was set on fire. Investigators say 14-year-old Adriel Riley and 16-year-old Zayvion Perry admitted to sneaking into Steven's apartment, spraying a flammable liquid on the 53-year-old widower, and lighting it. But the two boys — who had already been charged with robberies and the theft of a car in the months leading up to Steven's death — later recanted their confessions. By the time a passerby came to his aid and used his own jacket to put out the flames, Steven was burned on over 70% of his body. He passed away a few days later. According to a local journalist citing police sources, the boys "watched him burn a bit, after they sprayed him and lit him, and they told him to say it was two white guys who did it."