A Good Samaritan saw a homeless man on fire, put out the flames with sand, and then called 911.
“Three males that might have been involved in it actually used lighter fluid to pour on the victim’s sleeping bag and other items that were near him and set it on fire,” Ventura Police Commander Thom Higgins said.
58-year-old John Frazier has second and third-degree burns but is expected to live.
Meanwhile, Ventura residents are shocked that something so disturbing could happen in their close-knit town.
“It’s just really sad. It’s sad that a man is sleeping on the beach and then three knuckleheads just put him on fire for whatever reason,” said resident Charon Shirk. “It’s just sick. It’s really sick.”
“This is not representative of the Pierpont community,” said Dan Roundtree. “It’s a very tight-knit beach community, and for this to happen it’s just beyond belief, beyond belief, and whoever is responsible for this, they will be found.”
According to KNBC, Frazier’s burns covered “up to 40 percent” of both his torso and extremities. The three suspects were described by police as white males with shaven heads, wearing dark clothing.
