A man lit himself on fire before jumping off a footbridge over the Little Patuxent Parkway near Columbia Mall, Howard County police said Thursday.
The unidentified man set fire to his clothing while on the bridge and then jumped into the westbound side of Little Patuxent Parkway just after 5 p.m., police said in a news release. Investigators said it was an apparent suicide attempt.
He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he remains in critical condition.
No drivers struck the man and no one else was injured, police said.
The road was closed for about an hour.