Police in New York City are urgently searching for an arsonist after a man was brutally set on fire in Times Square early Sunday morning.
The victim, a 45-year-old man, was left with horrific burns all over his face and arms from the heinous attack.
The NYPD received a 911 call around 3:55 am for a person set on fire at 41 Street and 7th Avenue.
Terrifying images and video showed the unnamed burn victim being taken into an ambulance with severe burns all over his body.
The shirtless man was wrapped in a blue blanket as dozens of first responders rushed to help him.
Police said they believe the man was set on fire, but the name of the perpetrator was not immediately released. It is unclear if it was a targeted or random attack.
Suspect description
The suspect is said to have a medium complexion and was last seen wearing blue clothing, according to authorities.
The victim was transported to New York Presbyterian Cornell. He is in stable condition, police said.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
A red fire extinguisher, jacket and other pieces of evidence were left at the crime scene.
Fast-thinking first responders doused the victim with the fire extinguisher until the fire was out. Remnants of white foam were left on the pavement where the crime occurred.
Footage also showed police escorting a woman wearing a dress and heels, who is an apparent companion of the victim.
Steven Ortiz, a nearby resident, told Eyewitness News he can’t wrap his head around the ‘very inhumane’ incident.
‘Just listening to all these things, especially with what happens on the train, in the subway, I don’t know what’s going on with people who just want to light people on fire,’ Ortiz said.
‘I don’t understand, just very inhumane. Especially in the middle of Times Square, it’s crazy, it doesn’t make any sense.’
Another arson attack
News of this attack comes just months after a woman was burnt to death on a subway train in the Big Apple.
Disturbing video showed Debrina Kawam, 57, of New Jersey, engulfed in flames in horror scenes on the train near Coney Island on December 22.
She was allegedly set on fire by illegal immigrant Sebastian Zepeta, who cops say used a lighter before fanning the flames with his shirt.
He then sat on a platform bench and watched Kawam burn to death, prosecutors alleged.
Law enforcement sources told The New York Post after his arrest for the killing that he claimed he was drunk and had no recollection of the incident.
Zepeta pleaded not guilty after he was arraigned on murder and arson charges related to her senseless death.
The footage of the moments after Kawam was set on fire went viral as it showed an NYPD officer walking past the fire while a man, allegedly Zepeta, watched on.
NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference that officers who responded were not aware the suspect was on the scene at the time.
Hours later, the NYPD released images of the suspect, showing him watching his victim burning to death before he casually walked away from the scene.
Zapeta eventually boarded the subway later in the day, and he was arrested after he was flagged by high schoolers who recognized him from the images.
