A Long Island man doused his drinking buddy with tequila and set him on fire – all because the guest refused to go home, police said.
Epigmencio Garcia, 24, and his pal were knocking back shots of El Jimador tequila at Garcia’s Westbury home when the suspect told his guest to go home at 3 a.m. Sunday, said Nassau Detective Sgt. Richard Dorsi.
Garcia “wanted him to go but the victim wanted to stay” and sleep it off, Dorsi said.
Garcia then started hitting his friend and “threw tequila on him. He lit his lighter, threw it at him and set him on fire. He was burned very seriously. I guess tequila is quite flammable,” said Dorsi.
The victim suffered second-degree burns on his face, ears, neck and hands, said Dorsi. He was being treated at Nassau University Medical Center.
Garcia, an unemployed landscaper, was ordered held in lieu of $400,000 bail after being arraigned on charges of assault and possession of dangerous weapons – the bottle of tequila and the disposable lighter.