Five teens held in torching of man sleeping in park

Five teen boys have been arrested on suspicion of seriously injuring a homeless man in May by setting him on fire as he slept in a Tokyo park, police said Monday.

The Metropolitan Police Department said one of the teens, a 17-year-old tile worker, told police that homeless people are "as good as trash that should be cleaned up."

The same boy was also quoted as saying: "They are not doing any good to society. They are worthless as humans and just the same as dogs and cats. It doesn't matter whether they are alive."

The suspects' names have been withheld because they are minors.

On the night of May 13, the teen gang spotted the man, 52, lying on a bench in Akabane Park in Kita Ward, police said.

They allegedly placed a plastic bag containing oil on the sleeping man and set it on fire. One the boys reportedly said, "Let's clean up trash."

The man suffered serious burns on about 30 percent of his body and remains hospitalized. He had a job as a cleaning worker.