A 48-year-old homeless man died early Thursday after he caught fire on a Gramercy street, officials said.
Cops and firefighters were called to the corner of E. 16th St. and Rutherford Place about 2:30 a.m. where they found the victim ablaze, officials said.
Firefighters put out the fire and the man died at the scene, cops said. His name was not immediately released as cops track down relatives.
Police said the victim was homeless. It’s not immediately clear where exactly the fire broke out. The victim was found near both Stuyvesant Square Park and St. George’s Episcopal Church, officials said.
It was not immediately clear how he was set on fire. No witnesses have come forward and police were searching the area for surveillance cameras that could have caught what happened.
Cops are investigating the man’s death, although it’s believed he accidentally set himself on fire, a source with knowledge of the case said.
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