Carol Stream man dies after setting himself on fire

A 58-year-old former Wal-Mart employee set himself on fire in a Bloomingdale parking lot outside where he worked because, police officials said, he "wanted to die and couldn't take it anymore."

Randy Sater, a watch commander with the Bloomingdale Police Department, said the Carol Stream man parked his car in the strip mall on West Army Trail Road about 10 p.m. Thursday, stepped out of his vehicle, doused himself in lighter fluid and then set himself on fire.

Sater said about 10 people coming out of an adjacent Olive Garden Restaurant witnessed the incident and attempted to help put the flames out by throwing coats on top of the victim.

"But he said he didn't want the help and tried to throw the coats off," Sater said.

He said police were notified and arrived when the flames were out. Sater said officers spoke with the victim and he told them "he wanted to die and couldn't take it anymore."

The man was transported from the parking lot to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, but was transferred to the burn unit of Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, where he died at 2:42 a.m., Sater said.

Sater said the death remains under investigation.

"This was just a horrific thing," Sater said. "I'm sure the people who saw it will be traumatized by it for a while. Even the officers on the scene were shaken by it all."