GRANITEVILLE, N.Y. (WPIX)—
A Staten Island father forced his 9-year-old son to strip down naked and squeeze into a kitchen oven as a punishment, police said.James Moss, 53, reportedly told his son, Christopher, "I am going to burn you alive" after the boy was caught stealing money from his wallet Wednesday evening inside the family's home in Graniteville.
Investigators said Moss, who towers over the child measuring 6 feet 3 inches in height, did not light the oven with his son inside. Instead, he held the boy's hands over an open flame for two minutes.
According to court papers, Moss admitted to police he burned the boy and put him in the oven as a form of punishment.
"My son stole some money from my wallet and I burnt him and burnt his hand on the stove," Moss reportedly said to police.
The boy suffered second and third degree burns on his bands, according to court documents.
Police said the boy was also hit in the back with a spatula, slapped and dragged across the floor.
The Staten Island Advance is reporting that Moss remains in custody at Riker's Island after not posting his $15,000 bail. His wife, the boy's mother, refused to comment on the arrest.
