Two homeless men were set on fire by a man who poured a flammable liquid on them while they were sleeping under a bridge, according to multiple reports.
The homeless men were sleeping under a bridge in Argentina when a man stepped out a car and poured a flammable liquid on to the foam mattress that one of the homeless men was sleeping on before setting it on fire.
Footage shown of the attack seemed to have been shot from the car, presumably by the attacker’s accomplice, according to the Buenos Aries Times.
Thug sets two homeless people on fire after dousing mattress with flammable liquid in horrifying attack https://t.co/ulaXL89PH9
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 23, 2019
According to the video, a car is seen pulling up to the bridge on Avenue General Paz around the Mataderos neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The attacker then gets out of the car and sneaks towards the sleeping men. He then pours the container of flammable liquid on the mattress with his left hand and uses his right hand to light the mattress on fire. The attacker also tossed the liquid container at the other man as he ran back to the awaiting car and fled the scene.
According to the Buenos Aries Times, the accomplice had been verbally abusing the victims as he watched the lighting of the fire from the car.
In the video footage, one of the homeless men seems to notice the presence of the attacker who was unfamiliar to him. He managed to jump up and escape the worst of the fire. The other homeless man reacted a little more slowly, but was also able to escape the blaze.
Fortunately, neither of the men weren’t fatally injured in the incident.
According to the Mirror, one of the victims was identified by police as José Luis Pallaoro, 38. He sustained numerous burns on his body and was taken to the Hospital Municipal de Quemados by officials, according to the news outlet. The second victim was not identified by the police, but managed to make it to the hospital to get care. He was released a few days later.
Man douses two homeless men with flammable liquid before setting them on fire https://t.co/54vmyRAB5v pic.twitter.com/hfe1Stz8Wi
— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) May 23, 2019
A mechanic told reporters that he believed the attacker was the son of some businessman, according to the Mirror. The mechanic said the victims were Venezuelan who just wanted to live their lives without bothering or burdening anyone.
According to multiple reports, the incident reportedly happened three weeks prior, but no news organization was notified of the incident until recently. Police are currently trying to locate the attackers. No one has been arrested so far.
Other Fire-Related Crimes
A man died two days after his wife set him on fire for refusing to give her his phone password.
Dedi Purnama, 26, was repairing the roof of his house in a coastal village in Indonesia on the afternoon of Jan. 12, according to local media reports, when his wife called up to him, wanting to access his phone.
He refused while climbing down the ladder. An argument followed. He then reportedly hit his wife, Ilham Cahyani, who then grabbed a fuel can, doused him in gasoline, and immediately set him on fire.
Local residents of the village on the island of Lombok helped him put the fire out, but not before he had sustained lethal burns.
“The victim is currently being treated at the Puskesmas because he suffered burns all over his body, while the perpetrators were immediately secured to the police station,” said the police chief in an earlier statement, according to Tribune News.
The newspaper reported that Purnama died two days later. Reports on social media from Purnama’s friends mourning his passing confirmed he passed away sometime on Jan. 14.
