Man In Critical Condition After Setting Himself On Fire Downtown
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire downtown Monday night, police said.
Authorities responded to the corner of Franklin and Van Buren streets at 9:15 p.m. and found a person on fire, Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Frank Velez said.
Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines said he was an adult male, but his exact age was not known, adding that the man set himself on fire.
Matt Schmitz lives in a nearby high-rise and heard the man screaming from the street below.
In an email to the Sun-Times late Monday, Schmitz said the man was standing in the middle of the street, engulfed in flames for about a minute before falling over.
Bystanders attempted to douse the flames as Schmitz called 911, he said.
Police said the man may have been attempting to take is own life.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)