By RICHARD HACK

It was as surrealistic as any tragedy could be. At around 10 p.m. Dec. 7, a customer at Johnny’s Nightclub on Broward Boulevard walked into the east room in the popular male strip bar with a bottle of water. He was a familiar face—a regular who stops by two or three times a month, particularly on Sundays, which features Amateur Strip Night and a multitude of drink specials.

But this customer hadn’t come to drink, or watch the young strippers, or join friends. This man calmly emptied the contents of his water bottle over his head, saturating his clothing. Nor was it water in the bottle. It was filled with gasoline, and no sooner had he emptied the bottle then he took out a lighter and set himself on fire.

Club owner Sean David was in that part of the bar at the time. It’s the quieter of the bar’s two rooms, where guests can hold conversations, and get to know some of the strippers on a one-on-one basis. Even now, days after the incident, Sean remains in a state of shock.

“The club was very, very crowded, and I had seen the guy walk in,” David said. “He was a familiar face, like many of our customers are, and nothing looked out of place. He just calmly walked to the center of the bar, and lit himself on fire.”

Johnny’s has been in business for over 34 years, and for a great deal of that time David has been the owner. “When you own a gay club, you expect to see some unusual things happen. But never have I ever seen anything like this.

“The guy was immediately consumed by the flames. His hair, his face, his clothing were all seriously on fire. People starting pouring water on the flames while I rush toward him with a blanket.”

Those at the scene report a strong smell of gasoline and burning flesh, along with a sense of horror as the unbelievable act unfolded.

David covered the man with the blanket, burning himself in the process. “The guy was screaming to me, ‘I want to die; I want to die.’ And I just told him, ‘Not tonight you’re not. Not here, not now.”

Several patrons had called 911 and the paramedics arrived “in less than five minutes,” David said. “They were so quick and efficient, and handled the scene as if it was just another night at work.” But of course it wasn’t.

Because of their prompt emergency efforts, the man lived, albeit suffering second degree burns over 80 percent of his body.

“He had no hair left, and his face—I’ll never forget,” David said. “They say he was recently homeless and wanted to make a statement before dying. What kind of statement is that? I don’t know.”

Fundraisers are being planned for his medical care.

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