Woman In Medically Induced Coma After Being Set Ablaze On Street

Philadelphia police are hunting for a suspect who set a woman ablaze in the city's Kensington section.

Police said the horrific attack happened around 12:30 a.m. last Friday, June 17, on the 1800 block of East Tioga Street.

The victim, 36-year-old Alyssa Morales has burns to over 60 percent of her body and is currently in critical condition in a medically induced coma at Temple University Hospital.

Investigators are trying to track down eyewitnesses to gain critical information on the crime.

Moments before the blaze, Alyssa was seen having an argument with a man and another woman, a witness told police.

"She sees the female that's with them spray some kind of liquid towards the male and the female, and that liquid then is lit on fire," said Chief Inspector Frank Vanore with the Philadelphia Police Department.

Police are reviewing a video circulating online that shows Alyssa on fire. The victim’s mother, Leah Ann Morales said she learned of the vicious attack on social media.

"I watched the first three seconds when I knew it was her and I couldn’t watch anymore," the victim’s mother, Leah Ann Morales, told CBS3.

"You know it’s your daughter, and you know she’s burned, and then you’re just like, ‘she needs help, can somebody help her?’ And I found out on the Internet."

"She’s going to live, but she’ll have permanent damage," the mother said. "She’s going to have to have a new face. I’m saying it, she’ll never have the face she was born with, and they said that’s the hard part when she can look in the mirror and see a different face looking back at her."

"I feel broken. It's just like I don't know where to go, I don't know how to get up," she said. "She'll never have the face she was born with. Never."

According to her mother, Alyssa has been battling a heroin addiction for about 12 years.

Police said they are investigating to figure out if Alyssa was intentionally set on fire.

"At night, around midnight, there are individuals that are involved in the drug trade, selling drugs, using drugs. There's a lot of prostitution in the area so we're talking to some of the individuals that frequent the area," Philadelphia Chief Inspector Scott Small told ABC6.

No arrests have been reported. Police said, those responsible can be charged with arson, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment among other serious crimes