The New York City Police Department said officers responded to an emergency call at about 6:30 p.m. local time and found a man with severe burns near the UN complex. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities did not publicly identify the victim or disclose a possible motive for the incident.

Voice of Tibet, a media outlet run by exiled Tibetans, identified the deceased as Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen. The outlet said he “self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan independence and unity.”

Local news website amNewYork reported that Rangzen worked as an Uber driver and had traveled to the site carrying a Tibetan flag. The publication quoted fellow Uber driver Lobsang Paljor, who said he knew Rangzen through New York’s Tibetan community.

According to amNewYork, Paljor said Rangzen had become increasingly angered by restrictions imposed by the Chinese government on Tibetans.

The incident occurred as international attention has focused on China’s new ethnic unity law, which took effect this week. The legislation provides a legal framework aimed at promoting what Beijing describes as a shared national identity among the country’s 55 officially recognized ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs.

The United States and the European Union have expressed concern over the new law, while Tibetan organizations abroad have criticized it, arguing that it further restricts the rights and cultural identity of ethnic minorities.

Acts of self-immolation have long been used by some Tibetans as a form of political protest against Chinese policies in Tibet and neighboring regions with significant Tibetan populations.

China assumed control of Tibet in 1950 in what it describes as a peaceful liberation from a feudal system. Human rights organizations and Tibetan exile groups have consistently criticized Beijing’s governance of the region, alleging widespread political and cultural repression. China rejects those allegations and maintains that its policies have improved economic development and living standards in Tibet.

Ethnic minority issues remain among the most politically sensitive subjects in China. Authorities have maintained extensive security and surveillance measures in Tibetan areas, particularly since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012, saying such policies are necessary to combat separatism and safeguard national unity.

Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, described Rangzen as “a tireless advocate for Tibet” and said she was deeply saddened by his death.

According to the International Campaign for Tibet, more than 150 Tibetans self-immolated between 2009 and 2022. The organization said 10 of those incidents occurred among Tibetans living in exile.