Man Sets Fire to Himself Near NYC Courthouse During Trump Trial Jury Selection

On Friday afternoon, a man identified as Max Azzarello set himself on fire near the Lower Manhattan courthouse where jurors were being selected for the criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump. Azzarello, who traveled from Florida, likely aimed to promote far-reaching conspiracy theories, according to the police. He doused himself with accelerant around 1:35 p.m. in Collect Pond Park, located across the street from the courthouse.

Witnesses were shocked as bright orange flames quickly consumed the man, who had been distributing leaflets with antigovernment conspiracy theories before igniting himself. The crowd of onlookers reacted with screams and tried to help extinguish the flames, but the intense heat made it difficult to approach him closely.

Within a few minutes, dozens of police officers arrived on the scene, scrambling over barricades to put out the fire. Azzarello was rushed to a hospital burn unit but unfortunately died later that evening.