NEWSDonald Trump Hush Money Criminal Trial Gone Wrong: 20-Year-Old Conspiracy Theorist Sets Himself on Fire Outside Court
A young man set himself on fire outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Friday, April 19, while former President Donald Trump was in court for the Stormy Daniels hush money criminal trial against him.
A man set himself on fire outside Donald Trump's trial.
According to sources who were present, soon after the jury for Trump's upcoming trial was set, the young man sat on a park bench when he suddenly threw his belongings on the ground and doused himself in something before going up in flames.
Video was taken of the self-immolation showing 20-year-old Max Azzarello in a seated position while completely engulfed in flames. His burned body twitched on the ground while others ran over with fire extinguishers to put the flames out.
The shocking incident took place in a barricaded park across the street from the 100 Centre Street courthouse around 1:30 p.m.
Flyers were left at the scene that linked to Azzarello's Substack page that had the heading: "I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial."
In a 2,648-word manifesto, Azzarello said he self-immolated as an “extreme act of protest” over a “totalitarian con” and impending “apocalyptic fascist world coup.”
Three law enforcement sources told outlets that the man appears to have been a follower of some conspiracy theories and may have had emotional issues.
Donald Trump's jury was finalized.
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After the fire was put out, the man was placed in an ambulance in critical condition and will be transported to a hospital.
“I heard this clattering and it was these papers that he had flung up and they clattered to the ground,” a witness, only identified as Dave, told outlets.
"Then he pulled out a can and he poured it over himself. At that point, I thought, 'Oh this could be awful,' I'm old enough to remember the Vietnam War," he continued. “And after pouring himself with obviously something flammable, he took out, I think, a lighter, then he lit himself on fire,” he added.
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Ed Quinn, a freelance photojournalist who lives in the East Village, said he was facing the court when “I heard someone scream, ‘He’s going to light himself on fire.’”
“I see him dumping gasoline on his face, very deliberately,” he said. “He had [a] gray T-shirt on. It soaked his face. It soaked his shirt. Boom, he went up.”
Donald Trump is on trial for alleged hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.
The New York Post provided quotes and sources used in this story.
