OHIO (KRON) — A disturbing post-election story has surfaced about a Vietnam Veteran who lit his own body on fire after going on a political tirade.
The man was ranting about the post-election protests in an Ohio coffee shop before the incident took place.
Surveillance video from Angel Falls Coffee shows him dressed in a Marine Corps uniform as he tries to talk politics with customers.
Jim King, the owner of the shop, reportedly said that the man was especially curious in who had been organizing the recent anti-Trump rallies. “He seemed to be pro-rally, against Trump and he talked to my customers about how people needed to protest more about Trump,” King said.
However, when no one engaged the veteran, he left the shop, handed his cell phone to a stranger, and told him to record a video.
Then the situation took a terrifying turn.
“He walks over to his car and grabs a gas can and proceeds to douse himself with gasoline and then light himself on fire,” Lt. Rick Edwards said.
The witness holding his cell phone was in shock, and did not record what was happening. Others threw coats on the veteran and put out the fire with an extinguisher.
“He was curled in a fetal position perfectly still except for some hand movement and he was completely coated in ash,” King said. His burns are severe, and will take a long time to heal.
The man has no criminal record, and will not be charged for setting himself on fire, police said.
Investigators are treating the incident as a suicide attempt, and say his family is stunned.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs urges any veteran in crisis to call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.CNN contributed to this article.