A shocking attack in the heart of New York City has left police searching for a suspect who set a man on fire in Times Square before disappearing into the night.
The terrifying incident happened around 4 a.m. on Sunday, March 16, near West 41st Street and 7th Avenue, just steps away from the busy Times Square Tower. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a 45-year-old man badly burned. Emergency responders rushed him to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was treated and is now in stable condition.
Authorities say the suspect deliberately set the victim on fire and then ran off. While the attacker’s identity remains unknown, investigators believe the two men may have known each other.
Surveillance footage is now being reviewed in an effort to track down the suspect. According to reports, the victim and the attacker were seen talking at a food cart shortly before the assault. At some point, the suspect grabbed something from the cart, used it as an accelerant, and set the man on fire. The victim, engulfed in flames, ran about 100 feet before a bystander managed to put out the fire with an extinguisher.
The attacker was last seen heading north on Broadway, and officials are working to gather more evidence to identify him.
This disturbing crime comes just months after two other fire-related attacks in New York City. In December, a 67-year-old man suffered severe burns after being found on fire inside Penn Station. Just days before that, a horrifying attack on a subway train left a woman dead after she was set on fire while she slept.
Police are urging anyone with information about the latest Times Square attack to come forward as the investigation continues.
