Man Lights Jacket on Fire, Charged with Public Drunkenness

According to a report from the Norristown Police Department, an officer encountered a Norristown resident in the middle of the road at Stanbridge and Oak streets just before 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, holding to the ground a jacket that was on fire and smoking.

The officer approached the male with the fire extinguisher from his police vehicle and helped him put the fire out. The officer noticed the man was holding an unlit cigarette, but stated he did not know how the jacket caught fire. A cigarette lighter was found in a pocket of the pocket.

As the officer question the man, he reportedly was unsteady on his feet and had a blank stare. The man was reportedly looking at his empty hands as if there was something in them. The officer says the man repeatedly asked if he was on fire.

Due to his strange behavior, the officer believed the man to be under the influence of narcotics, possibly "wet" (a cigarette or marijuna dipped in PCP). The man was taken into custody and was charged with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. He was transported to the station and placed into a cell until sober.

The man was also found to have fine and costs totally over $700 in two area district courts.