An apparently homeless man died Tuesday after he set himself on fire on the steps of a Manhattan church, collapsing on the street in front of horrified onlookers, cops said.
A witness called 911 to report that the 48-year-old 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.
Disturbed onlookers 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 want to give his name, told The Post.
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“When he came down, he stood still,” the worker added. “He stood there as the flames were growing and growing. The flames were going up – from his waist up. He was burning. Then he walked across the street.”