Homeless man who set acquaintance on fire gets 17 years

A homeless man who tried to kill an acquaintance by setting him on fire near the Glen Cove train station is heading to prison for a 17-year sentence.

Authorities said a Nassau judge meted out the punishment Friday for German Umanzor, 39, after the man’s guilty plea last month to attempted murder.

Prosecutors have said victim Yony Guillen, 37, who also was homeless, needed a double leg amputation after the September 2017 attack.

Guillen still may die from infection, according to the Nassau district attorney’s office. Umanzor’s negotiated plea bargain included a commitment that prosecutors wouldn’t seek to indict him for murder if the victim doesn’t survive.

Police said Umanzor started a fire under the victim’s legs and feet while he was sleeping on the ground in the woods. The two men had an argument earlier that day, according to prosecutors.

Umanzor’s attorney, Dana Grossblatt, who is based in Jericho, called the case “a sad situation” on the day of his guilty plea.

Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas called Umanzor a “violent menace” in a statement Friday, saying his sentence ensured he would “be off our streets for a very long time.”

The judge previously told Umanzor, who is from Honduras, that he likely would be deported after prison.