Rochester police have charged a 16-year-old city teenager with first degree assault and second degree attempted arson for deliberately setting a man in his 50s on fire.
Police were called Friday afternoon to 500 Lyell Avenue for a report of a man on fire. He was severely burned and remains in critical condition in the Burn Trauma Unit at Strong Memorial Hospital.
After an investigation by the police Major Crimes Unit and the Arson Investigation Unit, the 16-year-old was arrested. He’s accused of deliberately spraying the man with a flammable liquid and setting him on fire. The man suffered third degree burns over 70 percent of his body.
The teenager has been arraigned and remanded to the Monroe County Children’s Center. His name is not being released due to his age.
Police say this remains an active investigation and they’re trying to figure out the relationship between the assailant and his victim. They do say they are not related and this was not a domestic violence incident.