Man is set ALIGHT in 'vicious' attack at unit block - as offender remains on the run

By PAUL SHAPIRO, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 02:07, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 04:17, 12 May 2026 A manhunt is underway after a man was set on fire in what police have described as a 'vicious and deliberate' attack. Emergency services were called to an apartment block on Todd Street in Warrawong, about 90 minutes south of Sydney, after reports of a fire about 9pm on Monday.  Police were told the man, 25, had been set alight by a person known to him, and suffered severe burns to half of his body, including his upper torso and legs. The victim was treated by paramedics at the scene and was airlifted to the Royal North Shore Hospital where he remains in a critical condition. NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Brad Ainsworth said the attack was 'targeted'. 'We are waiting until he (victim) can talk to us and hopefully then he will have some valuable information that will lead to the identification of the offender,' he said.  'I would think people in that unit block at Warrawong would know more so I encourage the residents there to come forward and help us out with our investigation.'  A crime scene has been set up and an investigation launched.  Anyone with information has been urged to come forward.   Emergency services were called to an apartment block on Todd Street in Warrawong, about 90 minutes south of Sydney , after reports of a fire about 9pm on Monday The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.