Man sets himself on fire on UC Berkeley campus

A man allegedly experiencing a severe mental health episode set himself on fire at University of California at Berkeley Wednesday — and a video capturing the distressing incident has now been viewed online more than 350,000 times.

The public self-immolation was reported to the authorities at 4:17 p.m. after a young man completely engulfed in flames was seen walking at Sproul Plaza on campus.

Bystander videos that are circulating on social media show onlookers trying to come to the man’s aid by pouring water on him and swatting at the flames with their jackets.

One person is heard repeatedly shouting “get on the ground” at the burning man, but he does not heed the command and continuous wandering around in full view of horrified passersby.

Officers with the UC Berkeley Police Department and Berkeley firefighters arrived on the scene and got the situation under control, after which the victim was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland.

The Berkeley Scanner reported that the unnamed victim, believed to be in his 20s, suffered second- and third-degree burns over most of his body.

A woman in her 40s who attempted to help the man was hospitalized with minor injuries, while another Good Samaritan who also tried to render aid was treated for burns at the scene and released.

It has been reported that the man was suffering from a mental health episode and was quoted as telling first responders who were trying to save him to “leave him alone.”

Eyewitness Tony Delacruz told the local news outlet Berkeleyside that the man seemed “indifferent” to the fire but was lashing out at bystanders around him.

Rachel Diao, who also witnessed the self-immolation, told The Berkeley Scanner that the man was shouting “Mormon Mafia,” and that he ran from and pushed away those trying to extinguish the flames.

“I could feel the heat coming off of him and I saw his skin and clothes burn off,” she recalled.

A local business owner eventually ran up to the victim and doused him from a fire extinguisher.

By then the fire had scorched through the man’s shirt and pants, and responding officers struggled to get the victim on the ground.

UC Berkeley officials have not said whether the victim was affiliated with the university. The incident is being investigated by the campus police.