A man was severely burned in Times Square early Sunday morning in an unsettling and violent attack which is being actively investigated by police.
The incident took place just before 4 a.m. near the intersection of West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. Video footage from the scene shows the victim, a 45-year-old man, suffering from extensive burns to his face and arms as first responders work to assist him. Emergency workers quickly extinguished the flames before placing him in an ambulance.
Investigators revealed that the attacker poured an accelerant onto the victim’s body before setting him on fire. Crime scene investigators mentioned that the assailant used a small bottle, possibly a Patron tequila bottle, to douse the victim with the accelerant. The victim then ran approximately 100 feet before someone in a car threw powder from a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.
The man was transported to New York Presbyterian Cornell Hospital and is now listed in stable condition. While authorities have not yet identified the attacker, they are reviewing security footage from surrounding businesses in hopes of uncovering more information about the suspect’s identity.
At this stage, the motive for the attack remains unclear, with the NYPD unable to confirm whether it was targeted or random. Investigators are continuing their efforts to track down the suspect, who was last seen fleeing north on Broadway.
