A quiet afternoon on the Lower East Side turned into chaos Sunday after a person allegedly set a beauty salon on fire with gasoline, according to firefighters and police officials. Initially, the authorities had said that the attack had been with a Molotov cocktail.
Witnesses noted that a neighbor was trying to open the front door of the business. Sasa Beauty Salon on Eldridge Street as smoke billowed from the building following the attack at about 5:15 pm.
“When we first opened the door, when we opened the door, a gentleman ran out, he was physically covered in soot, burned,” Phil Casaceli said.
A restaurant worker near the lounge ran straight to the scene to try to see if anyone needed help. Video taken amid the fire shows the man using a fire extinguisher to spray down inside the business.
After the first man ran out of the salon, the clerk said a woman with charred clothing also ran out of the store.
Police confirmed that the 60-year-old Asian woman had to be treated for burns to her face, torso and back, as well as the 46-year-old Hispanic man who had burns all over his body.
Both victims were transported to Weill Cornell Medicine Burn Center and their condition is unknown.
FDNY fire chiefs were still investigating the cause of the fire and who was behind the suspected attack.
The location was covered with tape for much of Sunday night as officers searched for evidence. At one point, teams focused on a burnt jacket at the crime scene.
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