Man Charged After Bursting into Flames at Lower Manhattan Office Building

NYPD officers have arrested John Butch, a 65-year-old man who burst into flames in the lobby of a lower Manhattan office building where Google has an office.

The incident occurred on Friday at around 3 p.m. when something in Butch's backpack ignited, engulfing his body in flames. Office staff used fire extinguishers to put out the flames and medics rushed him to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center in stable condition.

Butch was charged with criminal mischief, arson, and reckless endangerment while hospitalized, recuperating from severe burns he suffered. Investigators suspect that lighter fluid in his backpack fueled the flames, but it is not clear if Butch intended to set himself on fire or someone else.