A 21-year-old University of Guelph student, who streamed his suicide attempt live, has been charged with arson and disregard for human life in connection with the incident by Guelph police.
On Nov. 30, the Orangeville, Ont., resident was accused of intentionally setting fire to his fourth-floor dorm room in Dundas Hall at the East Residence, placing a toaster under his bed. Before setting the room on fire, the student reportedly consumed pills. He then crawled undeneath the bed and began drinking vodka.
Earlier that day, the student detailed his plans on the anonymous chat forum 4chan.
"This is it. Tonight I will be ending my own life. I've been spending the last hour making the preparations and I'm ready to go through with it," he wrote. "All I request is for you guys to link me to a site where I am able to stream it for you guys, then I will gladly fulfill my promise," The Star reports.
Around 200 viewers watched the suicide attempt via webcam.
Police officers and emergency crews eventually rescued the student and transported him to a hospital, where he received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. The damages from the incident are estimated to cost around thousands of dollars.
"We certainly felt that, with the risk to all those people at the residence were put into, this charge was warranted," said Const. Mike Gatto. "Had that fire gotten out of control, had that fire not been spotted, recognized and dealt with quickly ... we could be looking at a much greater story here," CTV News reports.
Due to the incident, the dorm was evacuated and at least 30 students received alternative accommodation.
The student is scheduled to appear in court on Jan.24.
