Fort Lauderdale police need help after homeless man set on fire

Florida Homeless Man Set on Fire During Fight
Published February 19, 2011
FoxNews.com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Police in Florida are searching for a man they say set another man on fire during a fight Friday.

Fort Lauderdale police said 58-year-old John Gibbons set 51-year-old William Stouffer on fire early Friday morning while the two were fighting behind a Burger King restaurant.

Stouffer was doused with some kind of accelerant before the other man lit him on fire, Detective Travis Mandell said.

Stouffer's girlfriend told local station WSVN that the men are homeless and both lived in tents near the Burger King.

"All of a sudden, poof, a big ball of fire, and here's Bill screaming like in a big ball of flames," she said.

Stouffer was hospitalized in Miami in critical condition. Police are searching for the man who attacked him.

Police are asking anyone with information on Gibbons's whereabouts to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Florida Homeless Man Set on Fire During Fight