WASHINGTON: Police in New York City said on Thursday a man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters, and activists and a media outlet of exiled Tibetans identified him as a Tibetan who set himself on fire in an appeal for independence.

A New York City Police Department spokesman said police, responding to an emergency call made around 6:30pm ET (2230 GMT) on Thursday, found the man badly burned.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said, adding an investigation was ongoing. Police did not name the man and did not provide any potential motive for his action.

Voice of Tibet, a media outlet of exiled Tibetans, said Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen “self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan independence and unity”.

He was an Uber driver, local news site amNewYork reported. The website quoted fellow Uber driver Lobsang Paljor as saying he knew Rangzen from gatherings in the Tibetan community.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Anto­nio Guterres said in a statement: “We are saddened by this tragic and horrific incident, and offer our condolences to his family.”

Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, said she was “deeply saddened” by his death.

The International Campaign for Tibet says there were more than 150 self-immolations by Tibetans between 2009 and 2022. According to its data, 10 self-immolations by Tibetans have occurred while people were in exile.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2026