Mom: Ice Bucket Challenge turned into sick joke against son, who has autism

***Important Note: The teenager's family asked FOX6's sister station to show the video you'll see below in an effort to make other parents aware of bullying.***

***WARNING: The video you'll see below is disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.***



OHIO (WITI) -- Police in Ohio are investigating an alleged case of bullying involving a teenager with autism who accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS.

"Once we found out about it, we were just horrified," Diane, the mother of the high school student told FOX6's sister station, FOX8 in Cleveland.

FOX8 isn't using the family's last name to protect the teenager, who is still in school.

Diane says her youngest son was videotaped as feces, urine, spit and cigarette butts were dumped on his head by a group of juveniles.

“I want these kids held accountable for what they did to him and they targeted somebody who just didn’t really understand what was going on,” Diane told FOX8.

Diane says she discovered the video on her son's cell phone. She says the family wants the video to be made public -- hoping it'll inspire parents to have a conversation with their children about how to treat other people.

“I mean, the first thing that popped into my mind was like, why could someone – how could someone do this? How could someone really be this cruel to someone? He was embarrassed because he did not know what the contents were until afterwards and then he didn’t want anybody to know. They used his phone to tape it and they put it up on Instagram. The bucket challenge is supposed to be raising awareness for this disease and now they’ve turned it into a sick joke. I just can’t understand why kids would do something this cruel," Diane told FOX8.

Police have been made aware of the incident, and they say criminal charges could be filed.

A spokesperson with the teenager's high school says the school is working with police.

“The bucket challenge is supposed to be raising awareness for this disease and now they’ve turned it into a sick joke,” said the victim’s mom. “I just can’t understand why kids would do something this cruel.”

CLICK HERE for much more on this story via FOX6's sister station, FOX8 in Cleveland.