Gompers Houses Tenant Arrested for Setting Fire to Sleeping Drug Addict in the Hallway
A resident of Samuel Gompers Houses is in custody for setting ablaze a sleeping drug addict in the hallway.
Police responded to a 911 call from the Pitt Street housing project around 5:00pm Friday evening.
The critically-injured man, believed to be a homeless man in his thirties, frequently snoozed in the halls and stairwells of the NYCHA property. Apparently, the sleeping habits didn’t sit well with one of the residents.
Police say that one Nathaniel Terry set the man’s pants leg on fire while still sleeping, allegedly in an effort to “scare” the individual from the premises.
The unidentified victim suffered severe third-degree burns across more than 75% of his body.
“He had clothes on, but they were like melted in his skin,” an eyewitness told the Daily News on Saturday. “He was on fire, like he was burning up, smelled it. He wasn’t even crying or anything like that. He wasn’t even making noise. He was just on fire.”
The 27-year-old attacker was charged with attempted murder, assault and arson after police found surveillance video of the attack.
The victim remained in critical condition at the Weill Cornell Medicine Burn Center as of yesterday, according to published reports.
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