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#22
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10-06-2013, 04:02 AM
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| My Rank: PRIVATE FIRST CLASS Poster Rank:3594 Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 95 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 57 Post(s)
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Re: *update* Man Sets Himself on Fire at National Mall
This story is getting stranger. It seems like most of the news outlets aren't really carrying this story anymore, as it has been removed from most media front pages. Snippet from LA Times article: Didyk said one of the men told her the man had "saluted the Capitol and then lit himself on fire." Some reports have suggested he may have tried to film his immolation. Most of the breaking news pieces mentioned a second man filming the event on a tripod with several witnesses attesting to that as well as multiple bystanders recording the event on their phones. Why has that factoid been removed from all of the major news articles? Aside from the original article I linked, the big name pieces have either been taken down or edited out these admissions. The only mention of the video recording I can find online now is this tweet: Is the second guy in custody? Why have the stories been altered and why aren't any of the cell phone vid's coming out online? Total blackout on this. Photo after being extinguished ![]() Alright, just found a news source that involves the second man. Click here for the full article. Second article here. |
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#27
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10-07-2013, 11:12 PM
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Re: *update* Man Sets Himself on Fire at National Mall
Man Who Set Himself on Fire at National Mall was From Mt. Laurel, New Jersey WASHINGTON - October 7, 2013 (WPVI) -- Police in Washington, DC, say the man who set himself on fire at the National Mall was from Burlington County. He is identified as 64-year-old John Constantino of Mt. Laurel. Police say Constantino poured a can of gasoline on his head and set himself on fire on the National Mall Friday. He was transported by U.S. Park Police helicopter to a local hospital in critical condition. Constantino later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The reason for the self-immolation remains unclear. But it occurred in public view, on a central national gathering place, in a city still rattled by a mass shooting last month and a high-speed car chase outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday that ended with a woman being shot dead by police. Constantino was standing by himself in the center portion of the Mall when he emptied the contents of a red gasoline can on himself and set himself on fire moments later, said Katy Scheflen, who witnessed it as she walked across the area. Police say they responded around 4:20 p.m. Friday. Scheflen said passing joggers took off their shirts in an effort to help douse the flames, and the man was clearly alive as the fire spread. A police department spokesman said he was conscious and breathing at the scene. MedStar Washington Hospital Center tweeted that the man was taken there and he was in critical condition. "There was not a lot people could do because it was a gasoline fire," Scheflen said. She said he may have said something before he acted, "but it was nothing intelligible." She said she did not see him holding any signs before he set himself ablaze and that there was another man with a tripod set up near him but did not mention if he was filming. Lt. Pamela Smith of the U.S. Park Police, which is investigating along with the D.C. police department, said, "I'm not aware of any signage or any articulation of any causes." Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department's TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411. Still searching for before photo. Just updated about 40 minutes ago. October 8, 2013 By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News "Man Who Set Himself on Fire on National Mall was Mentally Ill," Family Says Police at the scene where a man set himself on fire in front of the US Capitol on Friday. The man, who died, was identified as John Constantino, 64, of Mount Laurel, NJ. The man who died after having set himself ablaze last week on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., had long battled mental illness, his family said Tuesday. John Constantino, 64, of Mount Laurel, NJ, suffered, "significant," burns over his entire body and died at a hospital, D.C. police said. Constantino doused himself with gasoline from a red canister and set himself on fire Friday afternoon near the National Air and Space Museum, further rattling a city that was already on edge a day after a Connecticut woman was shot dead after she tried to ram her car through a White House barrier. His family members said in a statement Tuesday they were, "shocked and deeply saddened," by his violent demise. "His death was not a political act or statement, but the result of his long battle with mental illness," his family said in a statement released by attorney Jeffrey Cox. Constantino had three adult children. Initial speculation was that the man may have been homeless, but Burlington County property records listed Constantino as living at a home in Mount Laurel as recently as last week. Regina Horner, a neighbor, told Reuters Constantino was a pleasant man. "He was very friendly and showed no signs of depression," Horner said. "He did not want to talk about politics because the government did not care about us," she added. "Significant burns? Ya think |