A 35-year-old California man became engulfed in flames near a shopping mall in Victorville. Credit: GoFundMe

A terrifying incident unfolded in a Southern California town that has left a young father of three fighting for his life.

As The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday, a 35-year-old man named Joel from San Bernardino County suddenly burst into flames at a Victorville shopping center near the Mall of Victor Valley.

According to the Victorville Police Department, the incident occurred on March 30 at roughly 7:35 p.m.

When the police arrived, they stumbled upon a gruesome scene, as Joel’s skin was reportedly falling off from the flames.

Joel was left with third-degree burns covering 90% of his body.

He was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Hospital and is in ‘extremely critical’ condition.

It’s unclear how the fire started, but witnesses told the Victor Valley News that they suspect it could have started in an area that Joel, a transient from nearby Hesperia, used as an encampment.

Joel’s sister-in-law, Jenny Cobb, started a GoFundMe to support his recovery and released the following statement:

Our family is completely heartbroken. Joel is a father of three, and his children need him. Watching someone you love go through something this devastating is something you can never be prepared for.

We are leaning on our faith during this time, trusting God, and asking for prayers for Joel’s healing, strength, and recovery.

The road ahead is overwhelming. When Joel is able to recover, he will face multiple surgeries, intensive burn care, risk of infection, and a long, painful rehabilitation process that could take months or even years. Burn recovery is one of the most difficult journeys a person can go through, both physically and emotionally.

We are asking for help so that Joel can focus on fighting for his life and, if he recovers, on healing and getting back to his children—without the added burden of financial stress.

Joel’s family is currently seeking $9,000 in total donations. As of this writing, the GoFundMe has raised just shy of $3,500.

The Daily Mail notes that Joel’s wife, Brittney Buell, died unexpectedly in 2022. The pair shared three children: Aleah, Jimmy, and Joel.

The post HORROR: Father of Three Suddenly BURSTS INTO FLAMES Near California Shopping Mall appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Daily Show host Jon Stewart had a goofy on-air meltdown Monday night after realizing he has a striking resemblance to the sickly man being “healed” in a controversial AI-generated meme posted by President Donald Trump.

The now-deleted image, which Trump shared on Truth Social late Sunday night, depicted the president dressed as Jesus Christ, wearing flowing white robes with a red sash, extending a glowing hand over an elderly man lying weak and bedridden in a hospital bed.

The background included American flags, bald eagles, fighter jets, and a winged creature with horns in the sky.

Trump deleted the post after it drew sharp backlash from some conservatives who labeled it blasphemous.

When asked about the meme Monday at the White House, Trump downplayed it, claiming he thought the image showed him “as a doctor” in a Red Cross context rather than as Jesus.

During Monday evening’s episode of The Daily Show, Stewart paused when the meme appeared on screen.

Zooming in on the bedridden patient, he said, “Oh my God… What the guy in the bed, can I just…”

“Am I okay?”

Stewart continued, “What the f-ck?! I mean, look, I know I don’t have the vigor and spunk of my MTV days. But I didn’t know we were here already. I didn’t realize my look had reached… leper territory.”

“I mean, from the picture, it looks like it was touch and go for a while. Thank God, in my time of need, I was surrounded by family… This is freaking me the f-ck out. I’m just glad that Jesus-Trump brought his healing orb.”

The official The Daily Show account posted the full segment clip on X, captioned, “Trump posted an AI image of himself as Jesus healing a bedridden–wait, is that Jon Stewart?!”

WATCH:

Trump posted an AI image of himself as Jesus healing a bedridden–wait, is that Jon Stewart?! pic.twitter.com/P4Fgs7v8YY

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 14, 2026

The meme was posted amid Trump’s ongoing public criticism of Pope Leo XIv, whom Trump accused of being “soft on crime” and too weak on foreign policy issues.

The post WATCH: Jon Stewart Responds to His Striking Resemblance to the Bedridden Patient in Trump’s Deleted AI ‘Jesus’ Meme: ‘I Didn’t Realize My Look Had Reached… Leper Territory’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Senator Ruben Gallego turned on his good friend Eric Swalwell after initially defending him on social media.

On Monday, Gallego began to distance himself from Swalwell shortly before the California Democrat announced his resignation from Congress amid allegations of sexual assault.

“I want to be clear: I had no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior against Eric Swalwell,” Gallego said ahead of Swalwell’s resignation.

“I trusted someone who I believed was a friend, but it is now clear that he is not the person I thought I knew,” he added.

On Tuesday, after a fifth Swalwell accuser came forward at a press conference in Beverly Hills and accused the California Democrat of violently raping her at a West Hollywood hotel in 2018, Gallego threw Swalwell under the buss

“Eric Swalwell lied to all of us. He lies to the most powerful people in this country. And they trusted him,” Gallego told reporters.

“They trusted him with the most sensitive spots in our government. Whether it was a Judiciary Committee, Intel Committee, or impeaching Donald Trump,” he said.

“And that clouded my judgment, my friendship with him, our family’s friendship together with him clouded my judgment, and I was wrong,” Gallego said.

Gallego claimed that Swalwell was living a ‘double life’ but conceded he heard rumors that Swalwell was ‘flirty’ with women.

WATCH:

A reporter asked Gallego if he was in the hotel room and sitting next to Swalwell on the bed in the leaked video.

Martin Shkreli and Jack Posobiec released videos of Swalwell sitting on a bed with a sex worker. A man who resembles Gallego is briefly seen sitting on the bed.

“Was that you sitting next to him?” a reporter asked Gallego.

Gallego said that was not him in the video.

“No, I was not sitting next to him, I was not in the room,” the Democrat Senator said.

“I didn’t know where it happened. Right-wing political operatives are pushing this narrative that somehow I was in that room with uh Eric Swalwell and that is an absolute lie,” he said

WATCH:

HUGE UPDATE: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D) just DENIED being in the room or on the bed with Eric Swalwell in the leaked video.

Q: "Was that you sitting next to him?"

GALLEGO: "No, I was not sitting next to him, I was not in the room."

"I didn't know where it happened—Right-wing… pic.twitter.com/e3vW7aTotD

— The Patriot Oasis (@ThePatriotOasis) April 14, 2026

The post WATCH: Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego Throws “Best Friend” Swalwell Under the Bus, Denies He Is in Viral Video of Swalwell and Sex Worker appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.