An unnamed Schenectady man doused himself in gasoline and was allegedly ready to take his life, but police intervened and rescued the man.
The Colonie Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 8, at approximately 12:09 a.m., responded to a call from the relative of a 41-year-old Schenectady man that was allegedly threatening to harm himself. The man was reported to be around Taft Furniture located at 1960 Central Avenue, according to police.
Police located the man, allegedly doused in gasoline, on the Taft Furniture Lot. As officers spoke the man, he allegedly lit himself on fire and ran away from officers, according to police.
Patrol Officer Nicholas Burns, an 8-year veteran, tackled the man to the ground. Then fellow officers Edward Johnson and Robert Willey used their fire extinguishers to fully extinguish the burning man.
The man was transported by Colonie EMS to Albany Medical Center with burns to his chest, arms and legs, according to police. The man was later transferred to Westchester Medical Center, police said, and is in critical condition, but stable.
