Man Set On Fire In New York City's Times Square, Attacker On The Run

A 45-year-old man suffered burns after being set on fire in Times Square, an incident that echoes a fatal subway arson from three months earlier, according to police. 

Footage from the scene shows authorities rushing a shirtless, severely burned man into an ambulance after extinguishing the flames, The Guardian reported. 

According to police, the 45-year-old was discovered on fire around 4 am and was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. His attacker reportedly fled and is currently being sought by authorities. It remains unclear whether the assault was random or targeted.

Investigators later revealed that the victim had been doused with an accelerant from a Patron tequila bottle before being set ablaze. He then ran approximately 100 feet west while still on fire until someone jumped out of a car and used a powder fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames, fire marshals told the New York Post.

A Brooklyn woman described Times Square as "pretty scary" in the early morning hours. "Yeah, it's pretty scary before 8 or 9 a.m.," said Anne Lee, 26. "There are no cops on these blocks at all. These side streets. They're really only on the avenues, and they only give directions to tourists."

Street violence is expected to be a key issue in New York's upcoming mayoral election. Former state governor Andrew Cuomo, a candidate in the race, has called the city "out of control" and pledged to add 5,000 more police officers.

However, Mayor Eric Adams argues that the problem isn't a lack of officers but rather bail reform laws signed by Cuomo during his time in office. He has also pointed to data showing crime rates in the city are on a downward trend.

"Stop saying our city is in 'chaos and crisis'! It is not," Adams stated last week.

Sunday's arson attack comes just three months after a woman was fatally set on fire in a subway car, a crime that shocked New Yorkers and reignited concerns over public safety. The victim, later identified as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, was killed in the horrifying attack.

The suspect, Guatemalan migrant worker Sebastian Zapeta, was arrested hours later and charged with murder and arson. Police said Zapeta did not flee the scene as Kawam burned to death and was found with a lighter in his pocket.

"Lighting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated," the mayor's office said in a statement.