Exploding iPhone: Man Claims His iPhone Exploded In His Pocket, Burned His Leg

An exploding iPhone is making headlines this week, as a man from New York claims that his smartphone blew up while it was in his pocket. According to CNN, Erik Johnson had his iPhone 5c in the pocket of his pants when the unthinkable happened. As he bent over to pick up something that he had dropped, he heard a strange noise, and then felt a burning sensation. His phone caught on fire!

“When I went to bend over, I heard a pop. I heard a sizzling, and I ended up ripping my pants off to stop it from burning me. I was trying to get it out of my pocket. It started burning right through my pants. It was burning my leg, and I had to get my pants off somehow.”

The exploding iPhone caused significant burns on Mr. Johnson’s leg. He reportedly spent 10 days at the Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital, where he was treated for second and third degree burns. He has since hired a personal injury lawyer, but has not heard back from Apple yet. Apple told CNN that they are aware of this case, and that they are investigating.

“First and foremost, we have to find out how this happened and prevent it from happening ever again. That’s the whole goal here. Is the product safe? Now, every single time I have my iPhone, instead of putting it in my pocket, I put it in the seat next to me because of this case. My wife does the same thing, and so does everyone else at the (law) firm. It’s a little scary. You shouldn’t have to worry about your phone exploding,” said attorney Mike Della.

An exploding iPhone has made news in the past, as well. Back in October, the Inquisitr reported that a Phoenix man’s iPhone 6 exploded in his pocket after he accidentally crushed the phone. While his situation was a bit different (his phone didn’t spontaneously combust), the outcome was the same. The Phoenix man also suffered a second degree burn on his leg.

Many hope that Apple responds to this case, and that any found problems are promptly addressed. According to Tech Times, attorney Mike Della has fears that something like this could happen to a child, and that, of course, could be deadly.

Do you own an iPhone? Do stories like this worry you or do you think of these incidents as “freak” accidents?

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]