A New Mexico man set himself on fire while trying to set fire to his ex-girlfriend’s home while she and their four children were inside, according to police.
Artemio Sanchez-Ortega, 46, is accused of pouring gasoline all over his ex’s home in Albuquerque on May 24 and lighting a match, destroying the two vehicles in his driveway.
Security footage from a neighbor shows the arsonist pouring the liquid before flames explode as he jumps over the fence, trying to flee the scene.
The man becomes engulfed in flames as he flees the scene while it is still on fire.
Artemio Sánchez-Ortega set himself on fire while trying to set fire to his ex-girlfriend’s house while she and her four children were inside, according to police.
The arsonist, however, managed to flee the scene in a truck.
He is seen tripping and falling before running about a block while his clothes are still on fire.
Neighbor Daniel Provine, whose cameras captured the incident, said KOB4: ‘I had to laugh at the amateur hour situation there, if you’re going to commit arson, try to do it without setting yourself on fire.’
The victim, whose name has not been identified by police, was watching the entire scene from inside the house in shock, he told the local media outlet.
The vehicles that were in the victim’s driveway were destroyed after the attack.
She and her children left the house unharmed.
The woman told police that Sanchez-Ortega had called her three times before the attack and that she “realized he was drinking.”
The arsonist, however, managed to flee the scene in a truck.
Police are still searching for Sanchez-Ortega.
