A man who set himself on fire outside the White House on Wednesday afternoon has died from his injuries, the U.S. Park Police confirmed. Park Police and U.S. Secret Service responded to reports of a man who reportedly lit himself on fire on the White House Ellipse. Police later identified the man as Arnav Gupta of Bethesda, Maryland.
A spokesman for the Washington, D.C., fire department said first responders managed to extinguish the fire. Officials were trying to determine what kind of accelerant the man used to start the fire.
Sgt. Eduardo Delgado, a spokesman for the Park Police, said investigators do not know the man’s motive at the time. Graphic videos on social media showed Gupta walking across the Ellipse engulfed in flames until first responders arrived to the scene.
The Ellipse is a 52-acre park south of the main White House complex that is open to the public. In April, a man was hospitalized after lighting his jacket on fire outside the White House, causing a brief lockdown. The man in that incident sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the Secret Service said at the time.
