An Orthodox Jewish father of four was severely burned after a religious feud led to an arson attempt, according to the victim's family

Police say that Aron Rottenberg, 43, fought off a man armed with an incendiary device and ended up hospitalized with third-degree burns covering 50% of his body. The attacker was carrying a rag soaked with flammable liquid behind the Rottenberg family home in New Square, N.Y., an all-Hasidic Jewish village. Rottenberg, a plumber, went outside to face the suspect, who police said had a device with a long, improvised fuse. In the struggle, the device caught fire, injuring both men. 18-year-old Shaul Spitzer was reportedly arrested for the attack on charges of first-degree attempted arson and first-degree assault, both of which are felonies. Rottenberg's family said that they had been targeted before because Rottenberg worshiped in his own way, apart from the main synagogue used by the community's grand rabbi. "Doing your own thing, that is not something they can take," said Rottenberg's son-in-law, Moshe Elbaum. "They don't like that, because it's showing people can do what they want to do."