Bystanders at the University of California in Berkeley were shocked after a man in his 20s set himself on fire on Wednesday, March 1. A witness shot a video of the young man, who was allegedly experiencing a mental health crisis, and shared it online, where it quickly went viral.
See shocking video here.
Officers at the University of California Police Department got a 911 call at around 4:17 pm with reports of a man who had set himself on fire and was walking around Sproul Plaza.
Videos circulating online show the shocked witnesses trying to help the man and attempting to put out the flames by pouring water on him and by swatting the fire with their clothes.
One of the witnesses can be heard shouting at the man to get on the ground, but the burning man does not listen and continues to pace around as the horrified passersby look on helplessly.
Enrique Rojas, a manager at one of the local businesses, eventually ran up to the burning man and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher before the first responders arrived and got him into an ambulance.
When responding officers from the Berkeley Fire Department and the Police Department arrived on the scene, they managed to restrain the man and take him to the Highland Hospital Trauma Center, where he was treated for second and third-degree burns.
The blaze also injured two more people, including a woman in her 40s who tried to extinguish the fire. She was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries, while another bystander who also tried to help was treated at the scene and released.
The burning man repeatedly told bystanders and first responders to leave him alone.
Tony Delacruz, who witnessed the ordeal, told a local news outlet that the man appeared indifferent to the fire burning on him and was instead lashing out at bystanders and those trying to help him.
Another witness, Rachel Diao, told another outlet that the burning man was shouting “Mormon Mafia.” She said that she could feel the heat coming from him and could see his clothes and skin burn.
The man’s identity is still unknown, and officials did not say whether he is affiliated with the school. The campus police will be investigating the incident.
