A 48-year-old man died after he set himself on fire on the steps of a Manhattan church – before collapsing onto the street in front of the building early Thursday, cops said.
A witness called 911 to report that the man — who may be homeless — 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.
Viewers of the disturbing sight, who were standing about 50 feet away, told cops the man said nothing as he sparked the deadly blaze and then fell to the ground.
Video of the horror, viewed by a church worker, shows the fire starting small — beginning at the top of the steps in the corner near the door.
“When he was coming down the steps the fire got bigger and bigger,” the worker, who did not want to give his name, told The Post.
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