An electric bike company has been forced to recall 53,000 scooters and hoverboards after two Pennsylvania girls died in a fire.
Brianna Baer, 15, and her sister Abigail Kaufman, 10, died in the fire that started in a first-floor bedroom and spread through their Hellertown home on April 1, 2022.
The borough’s fire marshal said that while the cause of the fire has not been determined, they suspect it originated from a Jetson Rogue 42-volt scooter battery.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission cited that opinion in recalling 53,000 of the company’s scooters and hoverboards that Target sold across the United States.
An electric bike company was forced to recall 53,000 scooters and hoverboards after two Pennsylvania girls died in a fire in which one of their scooters was the source of
Brianna Baer (pictured left), 15, and her sister Abigail Kaufman (pictured right), 10, died in the fire that started in a first-floor bedroom and spread through their home in Hellertown on April 1, 2022.
“The fire then spread from the room of origin to other parts of the house, resulting in the deaths of the two girls and smoke inhalation injuries to the girls’ parents,” the recall continued.
Firefighters arrived shortly before 1 a.m., according to the morning callwith the house already engulfed in flames.
Parents Damien Kaufman, 36, and his wife Jennifer, 42, were able to get out of the home, but the girls remained trapped on the second floor.
Local fire crews were eventually able to get the sisters out, but they later died at local hospitals.
In the wake of the girls’ deaths, family and friends raised more than $128,000 on GoFundMe to help the Kaufmans “with hospital bills, repair bills and other incidentals.”
“Our community loves them and they need our support now more than ever,” Hannah Tatu wrote encouraging donations.
The problem with scooters stems from the scooter’s lithium-ion battery packs, which can overheat to the point of causing a fire hazard.
The CPSC has advised that consumers “immediately” stop using and even charging the recalled scooters and hoverboards.
A full refund is available if you contact Jetson. The products had been sold across the country at various Target locations.
The girls were unable to escape from the second floor of their home in time, dying later in a hospital.
Fire crews arrived shortly before 1 a.m., according to The Morning Call, with the house already engulfed in flames.
In the wake of the girls’ deaths, family and friends raised more than $128,000 on GoFundMe to help the Kaufmans ‘with hospital bills, repair bills and more unexpected expenses’
Parents Damien Kaufman (pictured right), 36, and his wife Jennifer (pictured left), 42, were able to get out of the home, but the girls remained trapped on the second floor.
Kaufman’s home had been largely destroyed by fire.
The township’s fire marshal said that while the cause of the fire has not been determined to this day, it originated from a 42-volt Jetson Rogue scooter.
The specific models were sold at the chain’s superstore between August 2018 and June 2019 and sold on ridejetson.com between January 2019 and November 2021.
The recall offers specific advice for contacting the company or retailer for a full refund.
“Because the hoverboard’s lithium-ion battery must be handled differently from other batteries, consumers should not deposit the Rogue’s battery in battery recycling boxes found at retailers or home improvement stores. ” indicates the withdrawal.
He also advised that buyers should not “throw the Rogue’s battery in the trash.”