Sleeping homeless man set on fire by 3 men at Penn Station, NYPD says

NYPD detectives are looking for three men who set a sleeping homeless man on fire at Penn Station on Monday night.

Police were called around 8:40 p.m. after, they said, the three approached the 37-year-old man, who was sleeping on the ground outside an entrance, and set his clothes on fire.

Police and paramedics put out the fire and took the man to the New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell burn center. Police said the man was in stable condition.

The three assailants ran away before police arrived and no arrests have been made. Police said one of the men was wearing a black jacket, another had on a brown jacket with a gray hat, and the third man was dressed in dark clothing.

Amtrak officials, who operate Penn Station, said Amtrak police were investigating the assault with the NYPD.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.