Former Boylston employee says he warned town about 'pranks'

BOYLSTON, Mass. — The Boylston Highway Superintendent is under investigation for a prank that involved fire inside a work bathroom remains on the job Thursday.

The investigation began after an employee told the ball of fire came within feet of him. A former employee told FOX25 he tried to warn the town more than a year ago to protect other workers.

"The next thing you know you look behind you and there would be something being sprayed under the door and then you would see flames coming under the door,” said the former employee, who we are not identifying.

The employee said that Boylston Highway Superintendent Steve Mero regularly pranked his employees by pouring flammable liquid under the bathroom door and lighting it on fire while the employee was in the stall.

"If the flame got out of control and there was enough sprayed under the door, then you would potentially be dealing with a more serious combustible issue,” said the former employee.

FOX25 first reported on the allegations after Jeff Cathline, a current employee, told police he was in the bathroom stall when "a large fireball came under the door" and "the flames came within two feet."

According to the police report, Mero told investigators "It was all done in fun, nothing was meant by it, it was always meant as a joke." The second in charge, Stuart Barber, told police "...it was just a prank and they did not mean anything by it." police asked a court magistrate to pursue an assault with a deadly weapon charge, and a decision on that is expected on Feb. 10.

"I never did confront him about it because it was tough where he was in a position of power and he would always say, well I'm the superintendent what's really going to happen about it,” said the unidentified employee.

The former employee, who planned to make this job his career, ended up leaving back in 2015 because of the constant harassment.

"I had made the town administrator aware of what had happened and I had sent a letter to the selectmen and I had not gotten a phone call, a letter, an email, nothing wanting to talk to me,” he said.

The town administrator spoke to FOX25 off camera and said the town cannot comment on personnel matters.

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