Bragg Indicts Man for Horrific Times Square Fire Attack

Ahmad Mossad, 23, was indicted for attempted murder in the horrific fire attack on a 45-year-old club promoter, Mark Whyte, in Times Square in March 2025. Whyte suffered severe burns over 20 percent of his body.

The case was so shocking, contemporary headlines seemed ripped from some waking dystopian nightmare: “Food cart worker wanted for setting Times Square club promoter on fire has fled to Egypt,” went one Daily News followup. The food cart was operating outside the Nebula nightclub at 135 W. 41st St.

In that same account, the wife of the food cart owner claimed that Whyte was a regular customer who had somehow “pissed off” his suspected attacker, resulting in a prior physical altercation last year. “He’s never gonna come back,” she said in Arabic of the now former food cart worker, who police suggested was the food cart owner’s nephew.

“This alleged attempted murder is absolutely heinous,” said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. “The defendant allegedly sought to evade accountability for more than eight months by immediately flying overseas to Egypt but was eventually apprehended thanks to the hard work of our prosecutors and the NYPD. I know the victim has suffered excruciatingly painful injuries as a result of this incident, and I hope he can continue to improve and recover.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, Mossad, of Jersey City, NJ, worked as a food cart vendor in Times Square on West 41st street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. On March 16, 2025, at approximately 3:50 a.m., the victim, Mark Whyte, approached the food cart and had a brief interaction with Mossad.

Whyte walked away, and Mossad proceeded to pour gasoline from the food cart into a small water bottle. Mossad then paced up and down the street waiting for an opportunity to attack Whyte, who eventually walked by the food cart again.

The two men had another interaction and separated. Mossad found Whyte again, used a lighter to ignite the water bottle and set Whyte ablaze. The victim was engulfed in flames and ran through Times Square screaming for help.

Two nearby NYPD officers were able to extinguish the flames and transport Whyte to the hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma for several weeks. Whyte suffered second- and third-degree burns across nearly 20 percent of his body.

Hours later, Mossad fled to Egypt and stayed there for more than eight months, before returning on Nov. 25, when he was arrested by the NYPD.

DA Bragg thanked Detective Lauren Helmeset of the Midtown South Precinct Detective Squad; Detectives Blair Fauntleroy and Joseph Cohen of Manhattan South Homicide; and Police Officers Jonathan Chau and Kelly Tuechler of the 111th Precinct.

According to Department of Correction records, Mossad is an Egyptian male, 5-foot-5, 215 pounds. He is being held without bail on Rikers Island, and his next scheduled court date is Jan. 13, 2026.