MANHATTAN, NY - On March 16, a man was set on fire in the early morning in Times Square, leaving the victim horrifically burned all over his face and arms, NYPD sources told The New York Post. An accelerant off a food cart fueled the fire, they said.
Now, police sources have identified the attacker as Ahmad Mossad, a food cart operator who has since fled to Egypt.
Mossad allegedly drenched 45-year-old Mark Whyte, a club promoter, with the accelerant and lit him on fire outside the Nebula nightclub on West 41st Street near Broadway. According to sources, Mossad is the nephew of the cart owner, and the two knew each other since the cart is located near the club.
Witnesses said the two were in an argument of some sort for about 15 minutes before things escalated, and Mossad set Whyte ablaze after he had initially gone back inside the club but returned outside.
Mossad fled the scene and then took off to Egypt the same day, sources told The Post.
A witness who works at a nearby restaurant told The Post that the area where the attack occurred gets “pretty scary” in the early morning hours and complained there aren’t enough police officers around to help.
“[The victim] looks familiar,” said the witness, Anne Lee, 26. “I see him hanging around here when I have to come in early.
“Yeah, it’s pretty scary here before 8 or 9 a.m.,” she continued. “There are no cops on these blocks at all. These side streets. They’re really only on the avenues, and they only give directions to tourists.”
Sources said that Whyte ran about 100 feet before a witness ran up and doused him with a fire extinguisher. Video from the scene showed Whyte in obvious pain and covered in burns just after the attack.
Whyte was seen shirtless and covered by a blanket on the sidewalk before being placed in an ambulance and transported to New York Presbyterian Cornell Hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Police didn’t confirm if they would seek to extradite Mossad from Egypt.
Comments
2 days ago | Comment by: KMH
Wow. Y'all have super duper tender & sensitive feels on this website. We always default to constitutional freedom as our first belief. Comments on websites are subject to whiners and wankers tender feels. This comment will probably be blocked too. Wow, was America tricked believing law enforcement meant enforcement of law. Take care.
7 hours ago | Comment by: James
Go get him!!!
3 hours ago | Comment by: Don
This is what happens when a serious felon is released. This should have been 1st degree arson, attempted murder, etc. How does a person with these charges get released? The DA needs to be voted out of office. It is that simple. If the DA is not protecting the community from serious criminals, such as this guy, then it is time to show him the door.