A California man was reportedly set on fire after refusing to give a panhandler money.
The victim, 63, was approached by a man outside a 7-Eleven store in Long Beach, Calif. on Friday afternoon.
When the 37-year-old asked for change, the older man said no and continued to walk into the convenience store.
As he was leaving, the perpetrator followed the victim to his SUV, then poured a flammable substance through an open window, dousing the victim and his car. He lit it on fire and in minutes, the truck and its passenger were engulfed in flames.
"With the door open you could see the entire insides were ablaze," an eyewitness told "Good Morning America." "He came out and he was horrifying. His entire shirt was on fire, his head was on fire."
The victim suffered third-degree burns and is in critical condition at a local hospital, KABC reports.
Authorities are calling it a random act of violence. The two men are not believed to have known each other. Their names have not been released.
"It's a horrific crime to think that somebody's, really no motive, just sitting there, minding their own business and then to be lit on fire," Long Beach Police Sgt. Aaron Eaton told KABC.
Neighbors told KABC that they had often seen the panhandler in the area but never suspected that he was capable of such a crime.
“I guess he had a bad day or something,” said neighbor Shawn Garry.
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