Woman throws sulfuric acid on 59-year-old Brooklyn man, burning him and herself; motive unknown...

A woman threw sulfuric acid at a 59-year-old Brooklyn man on Sunday, severely burning him and herself, authorities said.
The man and his attacker had second- and third-degree burns and had to be decontaminated by emergency crews on the street outside a Flatbush apartment.

"They had some acid on them and were still burning," said FDNY Battalion Chief George Johnson.

They were taken to the burn unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where the woman was arrested, police said. Neither was identified Sunday night.

It wasn't clear what prompted the 6 p.m. attack or what specific acidic substance was used.

Sulfuric acid is found in car batteries, certain fertilizers and cleaning solutions.

The acid used Sunday was strong enough to leave large holes in a mattress that was later thrown outside the basement apartment where the victim lived.

The haz-mat unit that treated the two set up a containment pool - a small enclosure where the chemicals could be washed off in privacy on the street.