Man dies weeks after bursting into flames from Taser
Jason Jones had covered himself in alcohol-based hand sanitiser before fight with officers in upstate New York police station
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
A man has died weeks after he was tasered by police and reportedly burst into flames after he had covered himself in alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
Jason Jones was allegedly shot with a stun gun by an officer in a police station in Catskill, New York, on 30 October. The 29-year-old had shortly before sprayed his face and body with the sanitiser.
The incident led to Mr Jones being gravely injured, and he died on Wednesday in the hospital where he had spent the last six weeks, according to the office of the New York attorney general.
Police in Catskill don’t wear bodycams but surveillance cameras in the police station are thought to have filmed the incident, although no footage has been released.
Mr Jones walked into the police station after leaving a bar close by. According to the Albany Times Union, the altercation took place after he picked a fight with the officers in the station at around 1.30am on 30 October.
Police told the local paper The Daily Mail that Mr Jones “appeared to be intoxicated”.
In a statement on Thursday, the office of the New York Attorney General said: “At one point Mr Jones allegedly sprayed hand sanitizer on his body and head, and an officer used a Taser to subdue him, setting him on fire.”
The incident will be scrutinised by the office of special investigations, which is part of the office of the state attorney general.
A special investigation is automatically launched following a death involving a police officer, according to state regulations.
Mr Jones was in the burn unit of the Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse. An autopsy will determine the official cause of death and what effect the use of the stun gun had.
The use-of-force policy for Catskill police states that officers have to take “environmental conditions or exigent circumstances” into account before using anything “more than a firm grip”.
Police have also been advised not to use their stun guns on individuals who are wet or who are standing in water.
When reached by The Independent, the office of the New York Attorney General referred back to a press release issued on 16 December recounting the events of the case, but which added that “these are preliminary facts and subject to change”.
In a similar previous incident, a man affected by drug use poured gasoline over himself and said he would burn his house down as he held a lighter. Family members were still inside when the incident occurred in July 2017, court documents from the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas show.
Both the man and the house were set on fire when a police officer fired a stun gun. While the man passed away from his injuries a few days later, the people in the house managed to escape with their lives intact.