A 48-year-old man died after he set himself on fire in front of a Manhattan church early Thursday, cops said.
A witness called 911 to report that the man had set himself ablaze around 2:30 a.m. at East 16th Street and Rutherford Place, a tree-lined corner that is home to St. George’s Episcopal Church, police said.
The unconscious and unresponsive man was pronounced dead on the scene by responding EMS workers.
His name has not yet been released, pending family notification.
It was not immediately clear how the man had set himself on fire, and the investigation is ongoing, cops said.
A white sheet, crime scene tape and evidence markers could be seen just outside the church in the aftermath. Stuyvesant Park, as well as a couple of brownstone buildings, are located at the intersection.