Man Sets Himself On Fire Outside Donald Trump Trial, Says World Is Victim Of 'Totalitarian Con'
A Florida man set himself on fire outside Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York City Friday -- just moments after spreading conspiracy theory "propaganda" flyers.
As the jury for Trump's trial was finalized inside Manhattan Criminal Court, the man, identified as 37-year-old Max Azzarello, doused himself in what police believe was an alcohol-based cleaning accelerant and then set himself ablaze just after 1:30 p.m., the New York Post reported, citing authorities.
Footage taken by witnesses and obtained by TMZ showed the man completely engulfed in flames and writhing on the ground in the public park across the street from the courthouse.
"He's on fire and the area in the park where some of the accelerant spilled is also on fire," New York City Police Department chief of department Jeffrey Maddrey said, according to the Post.
The police chief added that NYPD officers, court officers and civilians quickly rushed to put out the flames using fire extinguishers and clothing.
Azzarello, of St. Augustine, Florida, survived and was rushed to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition as of Friday afternoon, according to police.
Three NYPD officers and one court officer suffered minor injuries from putting out the flames.
The incident was also caught on camera by several news stations that were reporting on the Trump hush money trial.
A CNN reporter was in the middle of a live broadcast in front of the courthouse when Azzarello lit himself up nearby, and the beginnings of the blaze were captured by the outlet's camera.
Right before the man's self-immolation, Azzarello was seen grabbing a handful of colorful pamphlets from his bag and throwing them into the air.
The flyers linked to a Substack post penned by Azzarello, who identified himself as an "investigative researcher," and published just moments before the incident.
"I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial," the title of the post read.
The post described the self-immolation as an "extreme act of protest ... to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery."
The post went on to claim, "We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup."
According to the Daily Mail, a LinkedIn profile believed to belong to Azzarello contained similar language, including: "We've got a secret fascism problem."
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny described the flyers found at the scene as "propaganda-based, almost a conspiracy theory type of pamphlet," according to the Post.
"Some information in regards to Ponzi scheme and the fact that some of our local educational institutes are fronts for the mob. So, a little bit of a conspiracy theory going on here," Kenny added.
A day before the incident, Azzarello was photographed standing outside the Manhattan courthouse sporting a black jacket, red and black gloves, and a backpack.
He was seen Thursday holding up a sign that read, "Trump is with Biden and they're about to fascist coup us."
NYPD police said an investigation is ongoing, and they are considering shutting the area down as they reassess the security.
It is unclear if the incident disturbed the proceedings inside the courthouse, where Trump is facing trial for 34 counts of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied claims that he had an affair with Daniels while married to Melania Trump.