A man who caught on fire when he ran head-on into a burning statue while at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada has died from his injuries.
TMZ reports that Aaron Joel Mitchell, 41, was chased by firefighters as he entered the bonfire in Black Rock City at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night. But he was not caught before entering the burning structure that quickly became engulfed in flames.
Videos by PopCulture.com
With the horrific account captured on camera and shared exclusively to TMZ, it is unclear why Mitchell jumped into the inferno in the first place.
Representatives from the Burning Man Festival’s website said Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital’s burn center, but succumbed to his injuries and died. The went on to share that they canceled scheduled effigy burns through noon Sunday, but will proceed with the scheduled Temple burn at 8 p.m. PST Sunday night.
The deceased’s family has been notified, and Burning Man is working with local and federal law enforcement agencies as an investigation is currently ongoing.
It is reported than more than 70,000 people attend the Burning Man festival every year.
Most Viewed
-
Marje/Getty Images, Getty -
In this photo illustration the Netflix logo seen displayed on a smartphone and Christmas decorations in the background. (Photo Illustration by Filip Radwanski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) -
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Axl Rose and Slash of Guns N' Roses perform onstage during the Power Trip music festival at Empire Polo Club on October 06, 2023 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Power Trip) -
(Photo by Ahmet Serdar Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images) -
Mel tells Santos about the lawsuit. Dana tells Robby & Al-Hashimi about the baby. (Warrick Page/MAX) -
L-R: Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim 'JD' Dempsey, Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey, Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper and William McInnes as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose in NCIS: Sydney episode 9, season 3 streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
