This is the moment a young thug sets fire to a homeless man sleeping in a shopfront in a Mexican city.

The homeless man was set ablaze on Valentin Gomez Farias Street in the city of Aguascalientes in the central Mexican state of the same name in the early hours of Monday morning (14th March).

According to local reports, the homeless person was sleeping outside a flower shop when a young man, believed to be in his early twenties, approached him and set his belongings alight.

In the footage, the suspect is seen looking around before approaching the homeless man and rummaging through his personal property.

He then apparently sets the rest of the victim’s belongings alight before walking off with one of his bags.

The fire is seen growing for several minutes before engulfing the shopfront and setting alight the victim’s blanket.

A taxi appears on the scene as the homeless man gets to his feet and the video comes to an end.

An eyewitness said: “I don’t know if the taxi driver whistled at him or something, but he got closer when the man stood up, fortunately the man just took off his blanket that was on fire.”

The witness added: “He got up and was fine.”

State Attorney General Jesus Figueroa Ortega reported that the victim is a homeless person who survived the attack, but suffered burn injuries.

He added that an investigation has been launched and the authorities are attempting to track down the aggressor.

He pointed out that the victim is well known to local residents and is considered a quiet person who allegedly has alcohol problems.