News is breaking now that a man actually set himself on fire near the White House lawn over an hour ago. Here’s the tweet by the Secret Service:
At approximately 12:20 p.m. a man lit himself on fire on the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Ave., Secret Service personnel are on scene assisting @NatlParkService and @usparkpolicepio in rendering first aid.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) May 29, 2019
Here’s more from KFOX14:
The Secret Service says a man set himself on fire near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
Secret Service said the man lit himself on fire at the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Avenue at approximately 12:20 p.m.
Law enforcement is investigating the incident, according to ABC News.
The Ellipse is a park just south of the White House, where the National Christmas Tree is located.
ABC News reports D.C. Fire and EMS have transported a burn victim to an area hospital.
UPDATE: Just to give you some idea how close this was to the White House, here’s a Google map of the area and the red balloon indicates where 15th and Constitution Ave meet which is near the Ellipse:
UPDATE 2: Here’s a photo from KTVU that show the man engulfed in flames…
UPDATE 3: Here’s video of the man engulfed in flames…
UPDATE 4: This man has died:
NBC – A man who set himself ablaze Wednesday on the ground of the White House Ellipse has died, U.S. Park Police say.
Arnav Gupta, of Bethesda, Maryland, died later that night at the hospital.
It appears that Gupta was reported missing to Montgomery County, Maryland, police on Wednesday morning. Family members last saw him about 9:20 a.m., when he left his home, police say. Police were concerned for his physical and emotional welfare of the 33-year-old man.
Police say Gupta lit himself on fire about 12:20 p.m. Secret Service, National Park Service and U.S. Park Police personnel responded to the scene.