A man set himself on fire in a park across the street from the New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial.
The man, Maxwell Azzarello, was badly burned and taken to a hospital in critical condition, officials said.
Trump was inside the downtown Manhattan courthouse at the time and was made aware of the fire outside, sources told ABC News.
A view of the scene where a person was covered in flames outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway, in New York, April 19, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
A fuel canister and a backpack are seen, at the scene where a person was covered in flames outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway, in New York, April 19, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
The NYPD said there were no threats to public safety but the NYPD Bomb Squad was sweeping the area out of an abundance of caution.
Azzarello took pamphlets out of his backpack and threw them around the park before pulling out a canister, pouring a liquid on himself and lighting himself on fire, Jeffrey Maddrey, NYPD’s chief of department, said at a news conference.
A police officer uses a fire extinguisher as emergency personnel respond to a report of a person covered in flames, outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway, in New York, April 19, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
He eventually fell to the ground and civilians, police and court officers ran into the park to try to extinguish the blaze, Maddrey said.
“He doused himself and threw these pamphlets across the park … and immediately just lit himself on fire,” one witness told ABC News.
The witness said the flames “were just massive immediately.”
“Pretty horrific thing to see,” he said.
Emergency personnel respond to a report of a person covered in flames, outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway, in New York, April 19, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
The pamphlets appeared to be “propaganda-based,” officials said.
Officials described Azzarello as a “conspiracy theorist.”
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Azzarello is from St. Augustine, Florida, and arrived in New York earlier in the week, officials said. It appears he acted alone, officials said.
“We’re very concerned,” Maddrey said. He said the NYPD will review security protocol because of the “gravity of the event going on,” referring to the Trump trial.
Emergency personnel respond to a report of a person covered in flames, outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway, in New York, April 19, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
Trump is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
The trial began on Monday with jury selection. The full jury panel was selected by midday Friday.
Opening statements will take place Monday.
Manhattan Criminal Court building at 100 Centre St. on Jan. 25, 2013.
New York Daily News/Getty Images, FILE
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