Naked Man Gets Second Degree Sunburn in Texas Heat Wave

Aug. 8, 2011— -- Texas cops are trying to identify a nude man who was found asleep on a dock during the broiling Texas heat wave and has been hospitalized with second degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

The man claims to not know who he is, police said.

"Our victim was altered. He didn't know his name, who he was or how he got there. He was found without an ID or possessions of any sort," said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for the Austin-Travis County EMS.

His burns were so severe that the man was airlifted by helicopter to an area hospital.

The man was found asleep on the boat dock of a private home and the woman who owned the home called police. He didn't wake up until a police boat from the Travis County sheriff's office arrived, prompting him to jump in the water, police said.

Texas Man Hospitalized With Second Degree Sun Burn

The officers notified EMS, who were prepared to perform an emergency water rescue. The EMS team successfully pulled the victim from the water and immediately noticed the severity of the victim's burns, which included blisters over his body from the blistering triple digit heat.

"Sunburn doesn't rise to this magnitude because people normally remove themselves from that environment," Hassinger said. He described the severity of the burns to what they normally only see in house and car fire causalities.

The spokesman said that "organic issues or substance abuse" are suspected in the man's behavior.

"It was clear that something else was going on with him. This gentleman had other issues given that his sunburn was the clear consequence of other behavior," Hassinger said.

The woman who called police declined to press charges.

"No criminal charges were filed and there will be no criminal investigation," police said.

Nevertheless, police are still trying to determine his identity.

"We don't have any information on who he is," Hassinger said.