Police in New York City are searching for a “Middle Eastern-looking male” after another man was set on fire in a tourist hotspot, according to reports.
The horrifying attack unfolded just before 4 a.m. on Sunday in Times Square.
The victim, a male in his 40s, was walking with a female companion when the suspect doused him in an accelerant and set him alight.
Officers on patrol encountered the victim moments later and quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, AM NY reports.
The man survived but was severely burned.
Footage shot by FreedomNews.TV shows the victim being loaded into an ambulance before he was rushed to Cornell Hospital.
>NEW: NYPD Searching for suspect after a man was set on fire and left horrifically burned in Times Square.
— FreedomNews.Tv FNTV (@FreedomNTV) March 16, 2025
Around 3:55 a.m. on 41st Street and 7th Avenue, a 49-year-old victim says a male approached him and threw a liquid on him and proceeded to ignite a fire.
Victim suffered… pic.twitter.com/h1xEIVq53F
It remains unclear whether the barbaric attack was targeted or at random.
“The suspect, described as a Middle Eastern-looking male, remains at large,” Viral News NYC reports.
🚨 BREAKING: Early this morning at 41st Street and 7th Avenue, a man walking with his girlfriend was set on fire in what is being reported as a random attack. The suspect, described as a Middle Eastern-looking male, remains at large.
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) March 16, 2025
Stay tuned for updates.
In December, an illegal alien from Guatemala was charged with arson and murder after Debrina Kawam, 57, was set on fire and burned to death inside a subway car in Brooklyn.