A 42-year-old Bronx man is at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx today being treated for burns over 45 percent of his body after he set himself on fire at a bus stop at the Cross County Shopping Center, police said.
The man suffered burns to both arms, the left side of his torso, the left ear, left side of the face and lower abdomen, according to Yonkers police.
Apparently, the victim, whose name was not revealed by police, had been released from a Bronx hospital over the weekend where he was treated for psychiatric issues.
At 02:46 p.m. Sunday, witnesses told police the man was at the bus stop in front of Macy’s at 800 Central Park Avenue acting irrationally. A witness told police he saw the man light two pair of underwear on fire with matches and then put them in his coat pocket while they were burning.
Moments later the man’s coat caught on fire and he went up in flames. While some people tried to put the fire out with water, others were reaching out to the police.
Emergency workers arrived, treated the man and rushed him to Jacobi Medical Center.
