Woman Sets Herself On Fire Outside Brooklyn Law School Dorm

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, NY — A young woman in her 20s set herself on fire outside a Brooklyn Law School dorm building on State Street around 2:40 p.m. Friday, according to the NYPD.

The woman was transported to a nearby hospital in "serious condition" with "serious burns," an FDNY spokesperson told Patch.

"She might be emotionally disturbed," an NYPD spokeswoman added.

Brooklyn Law School student William Kenefake, who said he lives at the Feil Hall dorm building at 205 State St., described watching from his window as the victim, whose shirt was on fire, ran down the street in a panic.

She "ran out of building on fire and strangers managed to put her out," Kenefake wrote on Twitter.

"It was one of most surreal things I've seen," he said.

However, a spokesman for Brooklyn Law School said the victim is not affiliated with the law school. "It's not a member of our community," he said.

"We're in Brooklyn," the school spokesman said. "Sometimes you just see sort of crazy things."

UPDATE: Nick Allard, dean of Brooklyn Law School, said the following in a statement sent to Patch.

"This is a wonderful and vibrant community, one the Brooklyn Law School family is proud to be a part of. We share the neighborhood's concern for the well-being of the young woman. We are grateful for the quick action of our neighbors who instantly worked to use their own clothes to smother the fire as well as the EMTs who saved her life. Our hearts and sympathies go out to the woman and her family."

Lead image via Google Maps