A 52-year-old man died in New York City on Thursday after setting himself on fire near the United Nations headquarters. The individual, who was carrying a Tibetan flag, reportedly carried out the act as a protest against China's occupation of Tibet. Papers stating 'China Out of Tibet' were found at the scene.
Video footage showed the man setting himself on fire outside the UN building complex in Manhattan. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department confirmed that the man was found with burns throughout his body after 6:30 p.m. Thursday and was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The police are withholding his identity until his family is notified.
Self-immolation has been used by Tibetans as a form of extreme protest against Chinese control over Tibet, with approximately 160 Tibetans having burned themselves alive since 2009. The man was protesting newly imposed restrictions in Tibet, and local reports identified him as Lobga Rangzen, an Uber driver who had been living in the United States for about two decades. Rangzen reportedly streamed his self-immolation on Facebook.