NEW YORK — The NYPD is urging people not to leave their cellphones near their beds because the phones could catch fire.
On Monday, the Deputy Inspector Wilson Aramboles of the NYPD’s 33rd Precinct tweeted a collection of ghastly pictures showing charred pillow cases, blackened bedding and burnt phones.
The tweet warned against putting cellphones under pillows while sleeping or when charging.
Many may still underestimate just how hot a phone can get while charging.
“It is recommended that you leave these types of devices on a hard surface so the heat can dissipate. The batteries heat up, they could melt—in some cases, explode—and cause a fire,” a fire chief told NBC Connecticut last May after a teen’s phone set fire to his bed.
The photos in the tweet are from various cases of phones overheating and catching fire.
In November, Dwayne Blanchard posted a picture to Facebook after his son left a Bluetooth speaker charging on top of a pillow, setting fire to the bed.
In 2014, a 13-year-old’s Samsung Galaxy S4 was “unrecognizable” after the battery swelled, started a fire and melted the phone.
Another Samsung Galaxy S4 caused a 25-year-old trouble the same year. She left hers charging on the floor overnight, and the phone caught fire and burned the rug it was laying on, as well.
