Teen Burglarizes Home to Fuel Propane Huffing Habit

A Westfield teen is facing burglary charges stemming from his potentially explosive huffing habit, police say.

The 17-year-old was recently charged with two counts of burglary of a dwelling and one count of intentionally abusing a hazardous substance. The teen was huffing propane, police say.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Jan. 31, police were dispatched to a home on Lois Avenue in Brookfield. The reporting person said his stepdaughters returned from home and the entire house smelled of propane. Just one week prior, the entire home had been filled with the substance while his stepson huffed it.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and determined that the level of propane in the home was at a “near explosive” level. They ventilated the home, and police then spoke with the teen.

He told police that within a week, he had huffed more than 60 percent of a new 20-pound tank of propane. He had freeze burns on knuckles and arm. The teen had obtained the propane by twice breaking into a locked detached garage in the home.

When police interviewed the teen in his room, he admitted to suffering from depression and struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. Police found two empty aerosol cans in his room as well. The teen added he had also experimented with cocaine and heroin. He told police he wasn’t trying to hurt himself, but just attempting to get “high." 

The teen was transported to Elmbrook Memorial Hospital for assessment, and could spend up to 24 years in prison and pay $60,000 in fines if prosecuted to the fill extent.