Police rush man on Main Street in Westover

WESTOVER — Officials shut down Main Street during rush hour after a man parked his car in the middle of the street, sat on top of its roof and threatened to light himself on fire if the Iraq War wasn’t stopped by 6 p.m.

The standoff ended when a Johnson City firefighter rushed toward the man, spraying him with a fire hose, while four sheriff’s deputies and Johnson City Fire Chief Henry W. Michalovic tackled the man, pulling him from the roof.

Broome County sheriff’s deputies and Johnson City fire personnel blocked off Main Street around 4:30 p.m., when they arrived on the scene and found the man sitting on the car in between BAE Systems and the Aldi grocery. The road was reopened around 5:15 p.m.

The man phoned authorities and threatened to light himself on fire, the sheriff’s office said. During the standoff, the man used gasoline cans to pour liquid on himself. The gas cans were later found to contain water.

The man was taken to Binghamton General Hospital, said Broome County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Vasili G. Yacalis.

Charges are pending an emergency mental health evaluation, the sheriff’s office said.

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