A tragic incident unfolded at Miami's HCA Florida Mercy Hospital where a man tried to deliberately set fire to a fellow patient. 63-year-old Gary Yuen, who was a patient at the hospital, was accused of this alleged attempt of setting another patient ablaze inside the facility. Hospital staff reported that Yuen was missing from his room as the fire broke out on the fifth floor, leading to an emergency response from Miami police and fire rescue crews, as per Local10.
The hospital's fifth floor was evacuated immediately as a precautionary measure while firefighters sought to locate and extinguish the source of the fire. During their search, Yuen was found in a bathroom where he reportedly resisted efforts to detain him and expressed a desire to die before eventually losing consciousness due to smoke inhalation. According to an arrest report shared by NBC Miami, Yuen was found with a cigarette lighter in the bathroom, which is now being investigated as the possible cause of the fire.
The victim, who was receiving oxygen treatment at the time, told investigators that Yuen had entered her room, lit two pillows on fire, and attempted to "ignite her hospital gown," as mentioned by Local10. She managed to escape Yuen's grasp and, upon fleeing the room, saw both her own room and another in flames. Surveillance footage later corroborated the account, showing Yuen entering the victim's room shortly before the fires started.
After being discharged from the hospital for smoke-related injuries, Yuen was taken into custody and is now facing serious charges including first-degree attempted murder, first-degree arson, and burglary with assault or battery. He remains detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. While the incident resulted in a dangerous situation, no additional injuries were reported aside from Yuen's smoke inhalation. The full implications of this act continue to unravel as the investigation proceeds.
