A 20-year-old McDonald’s shift manager in Northern California remained in the intensive care unit Tuesday after a coworker allegedly threw hot cooking oil on him, leaving him with severe burns across his face, neck, arm and back.
Officers responded to the McDonald’s restaurant on Harter Parkway in Yuba City around 11:15 p.m. on May 30 and found the employee, Jacob Smith, with significant burns to his face, neck, hands, shoulder and upper body. The injured worker was taken to a hospital in Sacramento County.
Mr. Smith’s mother, Amber Smith, told ABC7 that her son had been preparing to close out the register when he was caught off guard. “He was in the office getting ready to count the money when he saw out of the corner of his eye something, and he just turned and the oil was just thrown on him,” she said.
Mr. Smith was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center for specialized treatment. His mother said he is engaged and had been working hard to build a life for himself.
During the chaos of the attack, Mr. Smith tore off his shirt because it was burning him, locked the doors and called his manager. Still in shock and in tremendous pain when officers arrived, he told an officer he thought he had been hit by hot coffee. It was not until he was admitted to the hospital that doctors determined the substance was hot oil.
Doctors are working to reduce the size of his burns and limit the need for skin grafts.
“They’re just telling me that their goal right now is to decrease the size of the burn on his back and the neck area, to try to minimize the amount of skin grafting they’re looking at having to do, but it could potentially become more painful,” Amber Smith said. His family said he is expected to undergo surgery, including a skin graft procedure, in the coming days.
Yuba City police identified the suspect as Jalani Bluett, 23. Mr. Bluett fled the scene after the incident. Online court records show he has been charged with felony battery with serious bodily injury, felony mayhem and felony assault with a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Bluett was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and was being held without bail at the Sutter County Jail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for the following Friday, when prosecutors will present testimony and evidence for the court to decide whether the case should proceed to trial. No motive has been disclosed, and NBC News reported that Bluett’s public defender did not respond to a request for comment.
Before his arrest, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office issued a missing person alert for Mr. Bluett, noting he was “considered at risk due to a diagnosis and vulnerabilities.” Authorities did not disclose the nature of his diagnosis.
John Cook, the owner and operator of the Yuba City location, said Mr. Bluett was no longer employed with the organization.
“The serious incident that took place at our restaurant is deeply concerning, and our focus is on supporting our employee, Jacob, as he recovers,” Mr. Cook said in a statement to CBS Sacramento. “The safety and well-being of our employees, guests and community remain our top priority.”
Amber Smith wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page: “As his mother, it broke my heart when he looked at me and said, ’Why would he do this to me?’ I want to help him not have to worry about day-to-day finances and how to make ends meet, but instead be able to focus on his recovery.”
The fundraiser had raised more than $149,000 as of Tuesday evening.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
