Student who set himself on fire and drank a bottle of bleach in front of friends in his school cafeteria dies weeks later

• Vincent Nett died Sunday afternoon after horrific self-immolation attempt
• The 16-year-old sustained third degree, 80 percent burns
  
• Coroners determining official cause of death
• Friends said Nett was 'depressed' and 'unhappy' before the incident 
  

By Alex Delmar-morgan

Published: 05:00 EST, 10 February 2014 | Updated: 07:37 EST, 10 February 2014

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Vincent Nett has died after a suicide attempt at a Denver High School last month

A 16-year-old student who set himself on fire and drank a bottle of bleach in an apparent suicide attempt at a Denver High School over two weeks ago has died. 

Westminster Police said Vincent Nett succumbed to his injuries Sunday afternoon after being in a critical condition in hospital with 80 percent burns.

Nett, 16, from Colorado, set himself on fire inside a school cafeteria at Standley Lake High School in front of a crowd of terrified students and staff.

The boy sustained third degree burns after dousing himself in oil before lighting himself on fire.

A spokesman for Westminister Police Department said the coroner is determining the official cause of death. Counselors will be made available at the school today.

Nett reportedly left a suicide note on his Facebook page that stated in part: 'This is not someone's fault. I had this planned for years.'

In his letter, which has since been deleted, Nett detailed his suicidal plans and explained that friends had tried to talk him out of taking his own life over the weekend.

'If anyone says that they know why I did this... nobody knows and nobody will,' he concluded.
Police noted that Nett was not trying to harm other students inside the cafeteria.

Nett's friend Lexie Johnson told 9News last month she noticed a troubling shift in Nett's behavior in the days before his death, saying that the 16-year-old was feeling depressed and seemed unhappy.

However, she noted that Nett ‘didn't do it because he was bullied'.

In September, Nett posted a graphic on his Facebook page seemingly summing up his bleak attitude towards school.

Vincent Nett, who died on Sunday afternoon, was liked by fellow students and said he had planned his apparent suicide years ago

A police car blocks the entrance to Standley Lake High School, where classes were cancelled last month after Nett set himself alight

The teen doused himself in oil before lighting the fire that left him with third-degree burns to 80 per cent of his body

Emergency: Nett's Facebook posts indicated he was unhappy

'Maybe if hit my head on my desk enough times i'll die,' one of the lines read. Johnson described Nett as a good person who had never harmed others.

In his final note, Nett apologized for how the cafeteria will smell after his self-immolation and told his family he loved them.

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A teacher reacted almost instantly after the teen set himself on fire, running to a glass case holding a fire extinguisher and rushing it to a janitor who was able to put it out. She was treated for a minor laceration to her hand.

‘I saw this explosion happening in the lunch room,’ Leif Samson told the station KWGN last month. ‘Everyone started running out screaming, “Fire!”

Nett's friend Lexie Johnson said she noticed a troubling shift in Nett's behavior in the days before his death

Feeling down: In September, Nett posted this graphic on his Facebook page seemingly summing up his attitude towards school

Nett apologized for how the school cafeteria will smell after his self-immolation and told his family he loved them

Friend described Nett as all-around good person and said he was never bullied

'I just grabbed my backpack and ran upstairs, and I looked out the windows overlooking the cafeteria. That’s when I found out it was a guy on fire.’

Nett was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries. School administrators said he was ‘not a troublemaker’ and that such an act was ‘not on their radar'.

• If you or anyone you know if considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255

• For confidential support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details

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