An Arkansas man was rescued after he set himself on fire and jumped off a cliff, delaying his rape trial.

SEARCY, Ark. (TMX) – An Arkansas man who set himself on fire before jumping off a cliff Monday was scheduled to go to trial in January on charges of raping a minor, according to reports.

The White County Sheriff’s Office responded to Riverside Park in White County on Monday after “someone was heard calling for help in the area under the rocks,” Lt. Scott Seiders said. White County Citizen.

Seiders was one of the first to arrive on the scene and told the publication that he “saw a man far below the rocks and about 20 yards from the river.”

The Searcy Fire Department was called to the scene for a “high angle rescue and water evacuation.” Seiders said he ran along the base of the cliff until he reached the man, identified as 31-year-old Daniel Selby.

Selby was “conscious and alert” despite being there for about three hours. Seiders said he had “a noticeably broken leg, various impact injuries, and second and third degree burns to most of his upper body.”

Seiders said Selby told him he “set himself on fire with lighter fluid before going over the edge of the cliff.” Selby was eventually rescued and transferred to a waiting ambulance for transport to a local hospital.

Selby is charged with rape of a minor in March 2023. The jury trial was scheduled to begin Jan. 13, 2025, but Seiders said it “will likely be delayed until he recovers.”

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