A Tibetan man died on Thursday after setting himself on fire near the United Nations headquarters in New York City, in what activists described as an act of protest against Chinese rule over Tibet. New York City police responded to an emergency call at around 6:30 p.m. local time and found the man severely burned. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police confirmed they are investigating the incident but have not officially named the man or cited a motive.

Exiled Tibetan media outlet Voice of Tibet identified the man as Lobga Rangzen, a Tibetan activist who had lived in the United States for approximately twenty years and worked as an Uber driver. Video footage showed Rangzen, dressed in a monk's robe, walking calmly toward the UN building, placing a Tibetan flag beside him, and setting himself alight. He stood motionless for several seconds before lying down, as a first responder rushed to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher. Shortly before the act, Rangzen had begun a Facebook livestream calling for Tibetan independence and unity, and scattered papers bearing the slogan