Police ID Jersey Man Who Set Self On Fire On National Mall
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Police have identified the man who set himself on fire on the National Mall in the nation's capital and later died of his injuries.
District of Columbia police spokesman Paul Metcalf said in a news release Monday the man was John Constantino, 64, of Mount Laurel, N.J.
Police said Saturday that Constantino's injuries were so severe that authorities needed to use DNA and dental records to identify him.
The man poured the contents of a red canister of gasoline on himself in the center portion of the mall Friday afternoon. He then set himself on fire, with passing joggers taking off their shirts to help put out the flames. Police had said he was conscious and breathing at the scene.
But he died Friday night at a Washington hospital where he had been airlifted.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
