Man set on fire in Times Square, New York; suspect still on the run
A 45-year-old man was set on fire early on Sunday in the middle of New York's Times Square, sparking an investigation into the attack.
Authorities have yet to determine whether the incident was random or targeted. The victim, severely burned and shirtless, was rushed to a nearby hospital and is currently in stable condition.
According to police, the incident occurred around 4 a.m. when the man was found engulfed in flames.
Investigators believe the assailant used a Patron tequila bottle to douse the victim with accelerant before setting him alight.
The man, on fire, ran approximately 100 feet while seeking help. A bystander jumped out of a car and used a powder fire extinguisher to put out the flames, authorities said.
The assailant fled the scene immediately after the attack, and authorities are actively searching for the suspect.
While police have not confirmed whether the attack was random or specifically targeted, they continue to investigate the motives behind the assault.
This attack follows a similar incident three months ago when a woman, 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, was fatally set on fire aboard a subway car. The tragedy shocked New Yorkers and renewed concerns about safety in the city.
In that case, the suspect, 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant Sebastian Zapeta, was apprehended shortly after the incident. He was charged with murder and arson.
New York's street violence has become a hot topic ahead of the mayoral elections later this year, with former state governor Andrew Cuomo calling the city 'out of control.' Cuomo has vowed to add 5,000 additional officers if elected.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, however, argues that the issue is not a shortage of police but rather the impact of bail reforms signed by former Governor Cuomo.
Statistics indicate that crime in New York has been trending lower in recent months.
Despite this, the recent arson attacks and the rise in street violence continue to dominate public discourse, with safety in urban areas becoming a key issue for voters ahead of the elections.
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Business Recorder
09-07-2025
- Business Recorder
The new mayor on the block
A Jihadist. A terrorist. A communist. A Muslim. A lunatic. A firebrand. A socialist. A reformist. These and many others are the tags and labels being given to Zohran Mamdani the new nominee of the Democratic party's New York City mayor election. His race against Andrew Cuomo may seem a typical intra party politics but there is nothing typical about it. It is a campaign that has turned the staid and stale primary races into a scintillating duel between the old and the new, between the old and the young, between the set and the upset. It has created havoc with set way of running campaigns. It has created uproar in the set of running politics. And, it has created cracks in the set rules and regulations of the 'established' forces in America. All this blitz is not in a general election for the Presidential race, this is a mere primary race to elect a nominee for a mayor of a city. Despite that it has caught the imagination of the voters in New York. Despite that it has caught the eye of the global media. Despite that it has become the focus of electoral experts, geo political analysts, and social scientists. It has caught the electoral politics by a storm. Zohran Mamdani is everything that the big guns in the big parties love to hate. He is only 33 years of age. He is Muslim. He is anti-Netanyahu. He calls Narender Modi 'The butcher of Gujarat'. All these are big 'No Nos' in the big scheme of the big parties ruling the big superpower. Such daring and dashing rhetoric does catch the media attention but rarely translates into voter preference, but it has. That is the worrying point for those who for decades have supported the big powers in every illegal activity. Zohran Mamdani's campaign is not shocking, it is stunning. Some knock overs in the campaign are: The Underdog Vs the Bulldog— For somebody whose name hardly anybody knew, to come from behind and outrace the big Democrat stalwarts has kind of sent the party power brokers in a disbelief. Nobody thought he had a chance-not even the most reliable polls. Two of pre-election, nonpartisan polls had Cuomo leading in the first round. Emerson College showed Cuomo ahead by 3 points in the first round, and Marist University showed Cuomo leading by 12 points in the first-choice tally. Mamdani finished the unofficial tally 7 points ahead forcing Andrew Cuomo to withdraw from the race. Every attack that Mamdani received from his opponents, he turned it to his advantage. Nothing appeals more to the human instinct than the story of the boy next door giving it back to the boys on the Capitol Hill. He did exactly that. They called him names, he called out their corruption. They made fun of him, he ridiculed their performance. In many of the debates, he left his opponents speechless. When called out for inexperience he called back on their experienced harassment and embezzlement. They made fun of his name. He made fun of their inability to pronounce his name. It became the classic David Vs Goliath story. And, who can resist such a fairy-tale turned to reality. The Street, the door the sea— So Zohran Mamdani ran the campaign. Yes he actually 'ran' through the campaign. He was everywhere. In the boroughs, on the bus, in the underground, on the streets, in the halls, in the houses, in the sea. Yes he was. In the freezing waters. He just 'outran' his opponents who seemed stuck on their plush seats, too tacky in their attempts to connect to voters, and too obsolete in their ways of pouring in money to buy votes. On the election day pro-Cuomo Super Pac, funded by billionaire s including Trump supporters like Wall Street big gun Bill Ackman had spent $25m, on smear ads. Mamdani's Pac spent $1.2m, and a Working Families party-affiliated Pac put in $500,000. Mamdani had as many as 50,000 volunteers, who knocked over a million doors. Cuomo avoided the public and the press. Mamdani on the other hand was with the people, with the press available and accessible. That reinforced the image of those in higher places Vs he is just one of us. Listen, logic, talk style— Mamdani formed his campaign theme based on what the voters wanted. He said it was time to 'stop lecturing and start listening'. In his relentless meetings with the voter segments the common issue was economic agenda. He went around asking why some of the Democrat voters had voted for Trump and the answer was that cost of living four years earlier when Trump was there was cheaper. That gave rise to his campaign of 'Affordability'. He used the social media to logically present his theme of freezing rents and charging the wealthy higher taxes to fund this subsidy. Most politicians use the social media. However, the big smearing Ads made by big money are now a 'bore'. The curated speeches of candidates are considered stage-managed and far from reality. Mamdani changed all that. He 'ran' real on street and made online real-time videos which had a look of spontaneity, fun, energy and connectivity. He talked in English, Urdu, Spanish to connect to different segments. His videos catering to the South Asian voters used famous Bollywood clips to deliver the message in his witty style. He combined the old style of knock the doors, shake the hands campaigning with the modern, snappy, snazzy, funny, reels on the net that went viral. It is amazing how a single city primary race for the mayor has become the talk of global media. Of course, this is not just another city. This is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. This is a city that has the most Jews outside Israel. Zohran has won despite his declaration of getting Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York. He is bold and daring and unapologetic but in a charming and un-offensive way. His cheerful, smiling, slightly crumpled suited look make him look like the average professional on his way to the office. His articulate, logical, smart rhetoric and responses make his critics fumble for reactions. Many compare him with Obama's entry in politics. Obama was also from an African, Muslim descent. He was also from privileged schooling and very articulate. He also talked about peace and economic progress. He went on to become the President of America. But, he turned out to be the biggest arms salesman in the presidential history of America. Will Zohran maintain his authenticity despite the state establishment and despite the big money establishment? Only time will tell. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
30-06-2025
- Business Recorder
Mamdani defends campaign despite Democratic unease
NEW YORK: New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defended his democratic socialism on Sunday and argued that his focus on economic issues should serve as a model for the party, even though some top Democrats have been reluctant to embrace him. In an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Mamdani said his agenda of raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and on corporations to pay for ambitious policies such as free buses, a $30 minimum hourly wage and a rent freeze was not only realistic but tailored to meet the needs of the city's working residents. 'It's the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and yet one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and the rest are seemingly trapped in a state of anxiety,' he told NBC's Kristen Welker. Mamdani's stunning victory over former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday's primary election has some party figures worried that his democratic socialism could feed Republican attacks on Democrats as too far left ahead of next year's midterm elections. Business leaders have also expressed concern about his policies. Democrats have struggled to find a coherent message after their resounding loss in the November elections that saw President Donald Trump return to the White House and his Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress. A Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month showed that a majority of American Democrats believed their party needs new leadership and to be more focused on economic issues. Earlier on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents part of the city, told ABC's 'This Week' that he wasn't ready to endorse Mamdani yet, saying that he needed to hear more about Mamdani's vision. Other prominent New York Democrats, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have also thus far declined to endorse Mamdani. Trump, himself a native New Yorker, told Fox News Channel's 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo' that if Mamdani wins the mayoral race, 'he'd better do the right thing' or Trump would withhold federal funds from the city. 'He's a communist. I think it's very bad for New York,' Trump said. Asked about Trump's claim that he is a communist, Mamdani told NBC it was not true and accused the president of attempting to distract from the fact that 'I'm fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed.' He also voiced no concern that Jeffries and other Democrats have not yet endorsed his candidacy. 'I think that people are catching up to this election,' he said. 'What we're showing is that by putting working people first, by returning to the roots of the Democratic Party, we actually have a path out of this moment where we're facing authoritarianism in Washington, D.C.' Mamdani's criticism of Israel's war in Gaza has set him apart from many mainstream Democrats and prompted allegations of antisemitism, which he has fiercely denied. Earlier this month, during an appearance on the political podcast The Bulwark, Mamdani declined to condemn the pro-Palestinian phrase 'globalize the intifada,' which some Jews view as antisemitic and a call to violence. Jeffries told ABC that Mamdani needed to 'clarify his position' on the phrase to reassure Jewish New Yorkers. Pressed again on Sunday, Mamdani said it was 'not language that I use' but again did not condemn it. He said he did not want to determine for others what words are permissible or impermissible, arguing that Trump has done that by targeting pro-Palestinian activists for their speech. 'We have to root out that bigotry, and ultimately we do that through the actions,' he said. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, elected as a Democrat, is running as an independent in November's election after Trump's Justice Department dropped corruption charges against him, fueling accusations of a quid pro quo that he has denied. The Republican nominee is Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, and lawyer Jim Walden is also running as an independent. Cuomo has not yet decided whether to remain in the race as an independent.
Express Tribune
26-06-2025
- Express Tribune
50 Cent offers Zohran Mamdani $258K to leave NYC over tax-the-rich plan
Rapper 50 Cent is firing back at NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani after the Democratic socialist proposed a tax hike on wealthy residents and name-dropped the Queens-born hip hop mogul during a podcast appearance. In a fiery Instagram post on Wednesday, 50 Cent — whose real name is Curtis Jackson — offered Mamdani $258,750 and a first-class, one-way ticket out of New York. 'Where did he come from? Whose friend is this? I'm not feeling this plan,' the rapper wrote. Mamdani recently appeared on 'The Breakfast Club' podcast, where he outlined his proposal to raise taxes on New Yorkers earning over $1 million annually by 2%. 'I know if 50 Cent is listening, he's not going to be happy about this,' Mamdani quipped during the interview, citing Jackson's known opposition to such tax policies. Jackson, who has an estimated net worth nearing $1 billion, didn't take the remark lightly. 'I'm telling Trump what he said too!' he added on social media, alongside a thinking-face emoji. Mamdani, who defeated Andrew Cuomo in a shocking primary upset, defended the plan by stating it would target corporate profits and benefit public transit and small businesses. The clash has sparked wider political debate, with critics warning that Mamdani's progressive agenda could alienate high earners and business owners. Mamdani's campaign has not responded to 50 Cent's remarks. The NYC mayoral race continues to draw national attention as celebrity voices weigh in on issues impacting the city's economic future.
