Getty In this photo, a U.S. Secret Service agent stands next to a vehicle which is parked behind a concrete Jersey barrier surrounding the Ellipse, located behind the White House August 7, 2002 in Washington, DC. A man set himself on fire in the ellipse on May 29, 2019.
Disturbing videos capture the spectacle of a person on fire on the White House Ellipse. The Secret Service wrote on Twitter: “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.”
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.
The man has now died from his injuries. He was named as 33-year-old Arnav Gupta, of Bethesda, Maryland, who had been reported missing.
Concern for Missing Bethesda Area Man
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The man’s condition and motive were not clear. One video was posted to Twitter by Krisjan Berzins, who runs a lawn and landscape service in Alexandria, Virginia.
“Video of the person that was literally engulfed in flames on the #WhiteHouse lawn. Unbelievable,” Berzins wrote on Twitter, tweeting the video at Fox News. You can watch the video below but be aware that it’s graphic and troubling, although you can see the person in flames only from a distance. However, graphic photos also emerged that showed the man closer up.
“According to my daughter…she just saw a person that was on fire running across the White House lawn. Police and rescue have responded. They’re closing all surrounding streets right now. Video to follow… #whitehouse,” Berzins also wrote on Twitter.
Somebody lit himself on fire at the Washington monument #WashingtonDC
Other videos also were posted to Twitter. “The saddest thing I’ve ever seen. A person set themselves on fire in the park at the south lawn of the Whitehouse. Please pray for their soul,” wrote another person on Twitter.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Man Was Taken to the Hospital With Burns
The name of the person on fire was not released. In a statement sent to Heavy, the Secret Service wrote, “Today at approximately 12:20 p.m., a male individual lit himself on fire while on the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Ave. Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers responded in seconds, extinguished the fire and began to administer first aid. The individual is being transported to a local hospital. ”
The White House ellipse is “officially known as President’s Park South,” and “is a 52 acre park located directly south of the White House. It was part of L’Enfant’s original plan of the city,” according to mallhistory.org. The Secret Service told CNBC the agency “responded in seconds” after the “male individual lit himself on fire.”
Man Sets Himself on Fire Near White House, Extinguished and Arrested
The Washington Fire Department confirmed to CNBC: “…We’ve transported one patient with burns from the Ellipse and we’re now on the scene assisting law enforcement.”
A man set himself on fire next to the White House a the Ellipse. EMS took him to the hospital with life threatening conditions. (Warning, graphic picture) t.co/Ds5RhMEO5j
Alina Berzins, 17, told CNBC she and others “saw this man” on the Ellipse and “he starts running, and then we saw him covered in flames.” She said the man collapsed as “cops started coming to the area.” They put out the fire.
Man sets himself on fire in front of The White House.
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TMZ claimed the man “might have had some sort of protective suit on because he was not collapsing as he strolled across the lawn with the Washington Monument in the background,” but this was not confirmed by authorities.