A man died on Thursday evening after setting himself on fire on the pavement outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. New York police said officers responded to an emergency call around 6:30 p.m. local time and found the man badly burned at the intersection of First Avenue and East 43rd Street. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The UN confirmed the incident occurred after the day’s scheduled meetings had concluded and said its operations were not disrupted.

Tibetan exile groups and a network of overseas activists identified the man as Lobga Rangzen, a Tibetan Uber driver who had lived in the United States for roughly two decades. According to those groups, moments before the act he unfurled a Tibetan flag, displayed a placard reading “China Out of Tibet,” and broadcast a live video appeal for Tibetan independence and unity. The International Campaign for Tibet described him as a tireless advocate who had devoted himself to peacefully raising awareness of the human rights situation inside Tibet. Witnesses and local media reported that the flag remained at the scene for nearly an hour as investigators cordoned off the area.

The incident occurred the same week that Beijing brought into force a new “Ethnic Unity” law, which aims to forge a shared national identity among China’s 55 officially recognised ethnic minority groups. The legislation has drawn expressions of concern from Washington and Brussels, with critics arguing it provides legal cover for the further erosion of minority cultural and linguistic rights. Tibetan campaigners said Rangzen had been deeply angered by the law and by what they describe as the steady tightening of Chinese control over Tibetan areas. Since 2009, more than 150 Tibetans are reported to have self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule, according to advocacy organisations.

New York police have opened an investigation but have not released a motive or officially confirmed the man’s identity. As of Friday, the White House had issued no substantive public statement on the death, and the office of New York’s mayor did not immediately comment. A UN spokesperson said the organisation was “saddened by this tragic and horrific incident” and offered condolences to the family. The investigation remains ongoing.