Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) spokesman Synock Matobako said the team arrived on the scene at 7am on Saturday.

"He [the alleged criminal] was already under arrest but we are not sure why. We received information that the community had overpowered the police and took him out and burn him."

"We were not able to get in because there were a lot of community members.

"We normally tell our [paramedics] that if an area is not safe, they should wait for a police escort."

The paramedics had five police vehicles with them, but Matobako said the EMS felt that it was still not safe for them to advance into the area.

"So the police went in and brought the patient to us....he had first degree burns to his whole body. We weren't able to ascertain if they used petrol of if they used a tyre" said Matobako.

The man, in his 30s, was taken to the Thembisa Hospital.