Police search for male who set portable bathroom in Levittown on fire

Nassau County police Arson Bomb Squad detectives are searching for a male suspect who set a portable bathroom on fire outside a home under construction in Levittown and then, accidentally, set himself ablaze.

Police said firefighters from the Wantagh Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire, which caused “heavy damage” to the portable bathroom on the front lawn and minor damage to the home. Police have not made an arrest in the case and said it was unclear if the suspect was injured in the fire.

Police said the incident occurred at 4:30 a.m. Saturday on Sprucewood Drive.

The video appears to show the suspect coming out of the portable bathroom, which was then on fire, then realizing he is also on fire. The suspect then flees, running down the block with his foot apparently still engulfed in flame, the video shows.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the incident to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”