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.
‼️NYC Man Set On Fire‼️
— GrannysGems (@Roby73705910) March 16, 2025
While walking in Times Square with his girlfriend the victim was set ablaze. The suspect is still at large.
This is Kathy Hochul’s safe city. Do you think Hochul needs to go, Yes or No?
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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.
