O’FALLON, Mo. – A man was transported to a hospital after he tried to light himself on fire at a high school in O’Fallon Wednesday morning.
Around 6:35 a.m., the O’Fallon Police Department received a call for a man who was trying to harm himself in the parking lot of Liberty High School.
According to police, a 29-year-old Wright City resident had doused himself in gasoline and was detained and held on the ground by several school staff members until officers arrived. The cigarette lighter he tried to use had also been removed from his possession, police said.
He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital by medics to be treated for the exposure of chemicals to his skin.
No children or staff members were harmed. Police said no connection has been found between the man and Liberty High School.
Below is the letter sent to parents
'Good Morning,
We would like to make you aware of an incident that occurred on the Liberty campus early this morning at approximately 6:20 a.m. Administrators were alerted by a neighbor that an individual was wandering on the campus and seemed distressed. Mr. Nelson located the individual by the back lot and observed that he was holding a gas can and a lighter and indicating that he wanted to harm himself. With the assistance of another staff member, Mr. Nelson subdued and held the individual until the police and paramedics arrived. This individual is from Wright City and has no apparent ties to Liberty or the Wentzville School District. Students were not on campus at the time and we are grateful for the quick response by our staff and law enforcement to contain the situation. The individual was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for treatment. Please know that student and staff safety is always our primary concern and we take campus security very seriously. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.'
