A man in Pennsylvania has been arrested after he bit off another person’s nose and attempted to set them on fire.
The assault took place at a homeless encampment in Springettsbury Township, Pennsylvania, around 8:20 p.m. on Saturday, February 28, according to WGAL News 8.
Police officers responded to the scene when they received a report of an “explosion” after someone called to say they heard a “loud boom” and saw a fire in the area, according to court documents viewed by the outlet.
Once authorities reported to the scene, they found a fire in the wooded area of the homeless encampment.
Officers quickly found the victim covered in blood, while about 75 percent of his body was covered in flames. Court documents state that the victim was “missing his nose and eye,” while it also noted that he was “barely able to speak.”
Police also noted that there were small explosions going off as they pulled the victim away from the fire.
When officers were able to get the victim in stable condition, they asked him who attacked him. “He did it,” the victim responded, adding that “he tried to kill me.”
However, the victim was not able to give a name or any identifying characteristics of the attacker.
Police later identified Zachary Orwig as a suspect and located him less than 10 yards away from the scene. Orwig, 39, was found with blood on his hands, arms, face and pants, according to police.
Additionally, the documents noted that there was blood-covered cash at his feet and he had a knife tucked into his pants.
Following the attack, the victim was transported to York Hospital with “multiple facial fractures, a ruptured eye and broken eye socket and an unknown injury on his chest.”
After launching an investigation into the matter, police determined that the victim’s nose had been bitten off during the attack.
The victim needed further treatment and was later airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in critical condition. The status of his health is not currently known.
Orwig and the victim were the only ones at the encampment on the night of the attack, according to police. While speaking to investigators, the victim said that he had cash on him that his mother gave to him. The money may have acted as a motive in Orwig’s decision to attack him.
Meanwhile, Orwig told investigators that he did not remember what happened at the time of the attack. He also said that he could not explain how the cash ended up with him.
Orwig was arrested and charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, simple assault and strangulation, according to the documents.
It is not currently clear if Orwig has entered a plea or retained legal representation.
The Springettsbury Township Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled to take place on March 13. The investigation into the attack remains ongoing.
