Shocking video shows man, 29, doused in sanitizer set ablaze after cop uses Taser
Disturbing footage of a man bursting into flames after being tased by police was released on Friday, January 7, by the New York state attorney general. The encounter, that took place inside an upstate police station in October, eventually led to the man's demise.
Members of the Catskill Police Department are seen in the surveillance video running away from Jason Jones, 29, as he desperately tried to put out the fire engulfing his upper body and head. The victim would spend six weeks in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Syracuse before succumbing to his injuries on December 15. Now, the incident is being investigated by the office of New York AG Letitia James, the New York Post reported.
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Jones is seen in the footage pacing around the lobby of the police station for about 10 minutes after speaking with several officers on October 30. In the clip, which does not have sound, the 29-year-old becomes visibly agitated and proceeds to take off his sweatshirt and t-shirt before removing his shoes and socks. About 10 minutes into the video, Jones is seen dousing his bare torso and hair with hand sanitizer from a large pump bottle placed on a table. Three officers subsequently advance towards him, before one of them draws his Taser and fires it at Jones. The subject immediately catches fire and begins rolling on the floor as his chest, back, and head and fully engulfed in the blaze.
The three officers are seen scurrying away from the room and leaving Jones alone to extinguish the fire. As seen in the video, he tries to roll on the ground and pats his head with his hands for about 10 seconds. Jones is then seen laying on the floor, badly burnt and screaming in pain, before an officer comes back to the room and appears to try to get his hands behind his back. However, Jones was never handcuffed and an unidentified civilian was seen in the video giving him a hug while at the station.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Graphic video released by the New York AG’s Office shows the moment 29-year-old Jason Jones burst into flames after police in Catskill, New York used a Taser in October 2021. pic.twitter.com/jsSgcQo5g3
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) January 7, 2022
According to the video, Jones waited at the station for another 15 minutes before a medic brought in a gurney and wheeled him away to get immediate medical attention. The victim died after spending 47 days on a ventilator as his charred lungs couldn't absorb oxygen, the Albany Times-Union reported. According to the newspaper, Jones was a former top high school athlete in Catskill. He had been at a nearby bar where authorities responded to a disturbance and reportedly confronted the cops after walking into the station. The newspaper stated that police were initially treating the subject as an emotionally disturbed person before they used a Taser in an attempt to arrest him.
“Jason was unarmed, in the police station, and not threatening anyone when the police hit him with 50,000 volts of electrical current and he ignited,” Kevin Luibrand, a lawyer for Jones’ family told the Times-Union. “Instead of helping Jason, the police ran out the room, shut the door, and let him burn.”
The office of AG James was reportedly tasked with probing fatal encounters between cops and unnamed residents under a 2015 order. “The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime,” James said in a statement, according to The Post.