A 9-year-old in Illinois suffered severe burns after recreating a viral TikTok trend involving Needoh Cubes, which are toys filled with gel. The dangerous trend involves putting the cube inside a microwave, and as you can expect, this leads to tragic results.

According to CBS News, the incident took place in Plainfield. The young boy, Caleb Chabolla, apparently got the idea from a friend at school, as they had both discussed the Needoh Cube trend. Reportedly, the reasoning behind putting the object in the microwave is to make the sensory gel toy more pliable. The toy’s website, however, warns customers not to “heat, freeze, or microwave,” as it may “cause personal injury.”

Feeling the urge to try out the “hack,” and as he was ready to go to school, Caleb introduced one of his Needoh Cubes into the home appliance. Seconds later, his mother, Whitney Grubb, heard screams. Horrified by the sudden shriek, Whitney saw her son rush to the nearest bathroom. Turns out, the scorching hot gel hat exploded right into the 9-year-old’s face right after he opened the microwave, expecting a more elastic toy.

Whitney rushed her son to Loyola Medicine’s burn center. His eye was “swollen shut,” and the viscosity of the material, which is also sticky, meant that his injuries would be greater, said the center’s Kelly McElligott. Caleb ended up suffering from second-degree burns, and dead skin had to be removed. Fortunately for the 9-year-old, his vision wasn’t compromised, and skin grafts were not necessary. In total, the boy spent two days in the hospital, but he might develop scarring.

McElligot revealed that Caleb is not the first victim of the Needoh Cube trend. According to her, four patients have arrived at the burn center after microwave-related mishaps. In one case in particular, a child, after retrieving the microwaved cube, stuck his finger into the gel. The finger went through, and it was severely burned.

These statistics don’t stop there. McElligot told WGN9 that pediatric patients make up 30 percent of all the patients that arrive at Loyola Medicine’s burn center. While the latest Needoh Cube trend has certainly contributed to this number, the “everyday common things,” such as hot ramen noodles or hot coffee, usually cause the damage. She told parents to be “diligent” about the items they store in the house, so that they can prevent accidents that might lead to severe injuries.