Man set on fire in Times Square: Police say victim may know attacker
What we know
The attack happened around 4 a.m. Sunday morning near West 41st Street and 7th Avenue, hours before the start of New York City's United Half Marathon, where thousands of runners passed the scene of the crime.
First responders were able to extinguish the flames, and the victim, age 45, was taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said.
Video shows firefighters talking to the shirtless victim, who was covered in burns and ash.
Law enforcement officials say they believe the victim, who they have not named, knows the man who set him on fire. They declined to comment further, saying the case remains under investigation.
According to the New York Post sources, the victim and attacker "had been engaged in conversation at the food cart before the incident." The sources said the attacker used flammable liquid from the food cart to start the fire.
Dig deeper
In December, Debrina Kawam, 57, of New Jersey, died after being set on fire in a New York subway train. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, has pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges in the Dec. 22 killing.
Prosecutors say Zapeta set fire to Kawam while she was sleeping aboard a train stopped at a station in Brooklyn's Coney Island, then fanned the flames with a shirt and watched her burn from a subway station bench.
The Source
This article uses reporting from the NYPD, along with the New York Post and Associated Press.
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