Florida Man Says His Beloved Jeep Was Totaled by Exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7

A Florida man says his Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploded and totaled his beloved Jeep Grand Cherokee.

September 8, 2016

Not Available Lead — Image via Complex Original
Complex Original

With all the iPhone 7 chatter and related aux cord funerals going down this week, it's easy to forget that other phones even exist. Samsung, for example, briefly made headlines this month with a worldwide recall due to possibly exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones just days ahead of Apple's competition-halting keynote event. And now? Well, one Florida man found out the hard way that this whole exploding Galaxy Note 7 thing is no joke.

"That's the last thought in my head is that a brand new device, something as simple as a phone, is going to burn down my car or house or hurt a family member," St. Petersburg resident Nathan Dornacher toldFOX 13 Wednesday. According to Dornacher, he returned home with his family after a day of hitting up yard sales Labor Day morning and left his Note 7 charging inside his "beloved" Jeep Grand Cherokee while unloading a newly purchased desk. The Note 7 then, by Dornacher's account, exploded and promptly totaled his ride.

In a statement to FOX 13, a Samsung representative said the company is "aware of the incident" and is currently investigating. "We are working with Mr. Dornacher to investigate his case and ensure we do everything we can for him," the spokesperson said. "Consumer safety is Samsung's highest priority." Dornacher, who left the iPhone life behind for the Note several years ago, now says he'll never let another Samsung product in his house.

In an official statement released Friday, Samsung announced a worldwide recall of the Note 7 due to 35 reported cases of exploding batteries. "In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note 7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue," the company said at the time, promising it would voluntarily replace the phones in the coming weeks.