Man Allegedly Poured Hot Coffee on Baby, Causing ‘Severe Burns.’ More Than 17 Months Later, Police Are Still Searching for Him

NEED TO KNOW

• A man allegedly poured hot coffee on a baby in an Australian park in August 2024

• International authorities are still searching for the man as of Feb. 14, 2026

• The alleged offender is currently “known to be in China,” authorities said

More than a year and a half later, international authorities are still looking for a man who scalded a baby with hot coffee.

The alleged offender is still at large more than 17 months after the incident involving a then-9-month-old baby, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) said in a press release issued jointly with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Saturday, Feb. 14.

In the update, the organizations said they “remain committed to securing justice for the infant who had hot coffee poured on him by a stranger” at Hanlon Park in Stones Corner, a suburb of Brisbane, on Aug. 27, 2024.

The baby was with family in the Australian park “around midday, when a man not known to the group approached them and poured a hot liquid onto the child, before leaving the scene,” authorities revealed in a previous press release.

The man left Australia four days after allegedly harming the infant — who is named Luka, according to a GoFundMe created to help cover medical costs — and the AFP has been working with international authorities since.

The alleged offender is currently “known to be in China,” authorities said.

Chinese authorities were in Brisbane from Feb. 2 to Feb. 6, visiting “in relation to” the August 2024 incident, the QPS and AFP said in the press release.

Xiao Qian, China’s ambassador to Australia, described the visiting authorities as a “working group,” per the BBC. “We are serious in addressing this concern, and we’re serious in taking the necessary actions,” the ambassador told reporters.

The AFP said in the Feb. 14 press release that the organization “is working jointly with Chinese authorities on appropriate options to take this matter forward,” adding, “The AFP values the ongoing cooperation from Chinese authorities and their shared commitment to pursue all avenues for justice in light of the alleged offender’s location.”

The QPS and AFP also noted in the release that China “has extraterritorial jurisdiction to prosecute its citizens for conduct which occurs outside China.” The organizations did not state that the alleged assaulter is confirmed to be a Chinese national.

“As this is an ongoing investigation, the AFP and QPS have no further comment,” the organizations said.

Australian authorities previously issued an arrest warrant for the man for acts intending to cause grievous bodily harm, which can carry a life imprisonment term, according to the BBC.

Police previously released CCTV footage of the alleged assaulter fleeing the park. In surveillance footage and images shared by police, the man can be seen wearing a black baseball cap, black shoes, glasses, khaki shorts and a flannel shirt, and holding what appears to be a cellphone.

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As for baby Luka, the infant was hospitalized and received treatment for “severe burns,” according to the GoFundMe.

In an undated update to the fundraiser, the organizer said that while “Luka is no longer in hospital, his attacker is still at large, unfortunately.”

“Although he is doing well,” the update on the infant’s status read, “healing will be a lifelong journey for him with ongoing scar treatment throughout his life.”

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