Niagara Falls Man Who Set Woman on Fire Skips Court Date

A Niagara Falls man facing charges for setting a woman on fire at his food truck failed to appear for his scheduled court date on Friday morning.

Niagara County Judge John Ottaviano announced he would issue a bench warrant for Barinder Singh after the defendant did not show up for the 9:30am appearance. Singh is charged with two counts of first-degree assault in connection with an August 4th, 2024, incident outside his food truck on Niagara Street.

Brian Parker, Singh’s defense attorney, told the court he had spoken to his client after the last appearance but had not heard from him since early in the week.

“I don’t have an excuse as to why he’s not here,” Parker told the judge.

First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffman requested the bench warrant, which Ottaviano granted. Niagara Falls police will attempt to locate Singh, District Attorney Brian Seaman said. The warrant will also be entered into a national database so other agencies could take him into custody.

According to investigators, Singh - who owned the food truck at the time - poured a flammable liquid on a 48-year-old woman and ignited it. The victim sustained severe third-degree burns and was initially listed in critical condition. She died in January 2025.

Singh’s trial is currently scheduled to begin September 22nd. In April, he told a judge he wanted to replace his attorney on the same day he faced a deadline to accept a plea offer for a prison term of 18 to 20 years.

Police records state that the victim identified Singh as her attacker to emergency personnel who arrived at the scene near Eighth and Niagara streets around 1:45am that night. Officers reported that Singh showed them cellphone footage of the victim lying burned on the ground, while he could be heard saying, “I’ll (expletive) kill you” and “Don’t (expletive) steal from me.”

No further information is available at this time.

Niagara Falls Man Who Set Woman on Fire Skips Court Date