Genius kid tried a wild science experiment at home. It fetched him his first big audience — the FBI
The boy was just unleashing his curious explorer self but it turned into a serious investigation.
We’re eager to try a lot of stunts when we’re young and enthusiastic. In a similar turn of events, a 13-year-old boy named Amalvin Fritz, with a passion for science and experimenting, decided to conduct some at-home trials out of curiosity, as KTLA 5 reported on March 4. His passion went as far as to skip school and enroll in the academic pentathlon, California's GATE program for gifted and high-achieving students, according to ABC 7. With this strong dedication, he opened a lab in his home and has been experimenting with chemical reactions to develop cures for diseases. Unfortunately, a mix-up gave him an unexpected first audience — the Irvine Police Department and Orange County Fire Authority.
According to NBCLA, Fritz mentioned how he lost his aunt to cancer. Ever since, he has been keen to fight chronic diseases. The now-17-year-old was accepted into college at the age of 13, and is a few steps closer to graduating from UC Irvine. Of late, he had been working in his garage lab, figuring out different reactions and understanding biology better. A few days ago, a maintenance worker reported a leak in their building. The latter had nothing to do with the experimental teen, but when authorities showed up, they took note of this lab and informed the landlord. In turn, they called the cops and the firemen to figure out what was cooking.
While this was not reported as some mischievous or subtle activity, it was noted as “suspicious.” After being told officials had to investigate, they showed up in hazmat suits along with the California National Guard's 9th Civil Support Team, responsible for dealing with weapons of mass destruction, and things got serious. The family had to stay in a hotel for a week until the investigation was completed. Fritz’s phone had also been taken away. However, the teen was adamant that he had just set up a small chemistry lab with locally brought chemicals and equipment to quench his thirst to learn.
James Conway, a former FBI agent, explained why things escalated so much. The officer noted that the materials available at the boy’s lab could be easily used to create dangerous items. Investigation is reportedly still underway, but Fritz and his family hope they can just go back home and he can continue exploring, as any teen would. "I believe they had a little bit of concern as this is not something that you usually see inside a home, because not a lot of people are very passionate about science, and that's something I hope to change," the 17-year-old said.
According to the CDC’s 2024 report, around 129 million people in the U.S. are suffering from at least one chronic condition. 42% have two or more conditions, and 12% have at least 5 chronic conditions. The top 5 of these illnesses are curable and preventable. Data from another study revealed that at least 6 in 10 young adults are suffering from chronic conditions. This accounts for around 43.7 million young adults in the U.S., and Fritz wants to bring a change to these increasing statistics.
To his good fortune, some hope did come out of the story. An employee from Google who learned of his situation connected with Fritz to give him comfort. He mentioned how something similar happened to him when he was in his exploring phase. Fritz is currently working with an attorney to fix the issue as soon as possible. In the meantime, he’s keeping alive his dream to cure conditions like cancer and Alzheimer's one day. “Helping people is something that I’ve been passionate about for the longest time, and I truly believe that this is a way that I can contribute to the healthcare system in America,” he said.
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