Jamoneisha Merritt was severely injured when boiling water was thrown on her face. (Facebook)
A pre-teen sleepover party in New York City turned grim Monday when a girl threw a pot of boiling water on her friend's face, leaving her with severe burns, police said.
Jamoneisha Merritt, 11, was sleeping on the couch at a friend's home in the Bronx when the 12-year-old girl poured the scalding water on her face, the NYPD said. The water covered Merritt's face, shoulders, neck and chest and jolted her awake -- only to be overcome by extreme pain seconds after.
Merritt's cousin, Yolanda Richardson told CBS2 the incident began when the two girls got into an argument the night before.
"Her and her friend got into an argument and she told her if she go to sleep they were going to do something to her," Richardson told the news station.
She added of the moments after the attack: "She said she was screaming, that she was burning."
GIRL, 8, DIES MONTHS AFTER DRINKING BOILING WATER ON A DARE
Merritt was rushed to the hospital, where she was treated for second-degree burns. She was in stable condition as of Thursday.
The 12-year-old girl, whose name was not released, was charged with assault.
It's unclear if the incident was inspired by the "Hot Water Challenge" — a dare that became a social media trend in recent months.
Ki'ari Pope, an 8-year-old girl in Florida, died earlier this month after she was injured while drinking boiling water through a straw. Her cousins had reportedly dared her to do the stunt in March and she suffered health complications that led to her death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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