New York, July 3 -- A 42-year-old man carrying a Tibetan flag died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan on Thursday evening in an apparent act of protest, the NY Post reported.

The individual was identified by a friend as Lobga Rangzen, who had reportedly been residing in the United States for around two decades. The incident took place at approximately 7 pm near East 43rd Street and First Avenue in New York City.

According to the NY Post, Rangzen became engulfed in flames as passing vehicles honked their horns in response to the scene before collapsing to the ground, where two first responders doused the flames with fire extinguishers roughly 15 seconds later.

Law enforcement authorities c...