In a park across the street from the New York City courtroom housing former President Donald Trump’s trial, a man lit himself on fire.
According to investigators, Maxwell Azzarello, the male, suffered severe burns and was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. According to insiders, Trump was informed of the fire outside the courtroom located in central Manhattan at the time he was inside.
Although the NYPD Bomb Squad was sweeping the area out of an abundance of caution, the department stated that there were no threats to the public’s safety.
According to Jeffrey Maddrey, the chief of department for the NYPD, Azzarello took leaflets out of his backpack and tossed them about the park before taking out a canister, dousing himself in a substance, and setting himself on fire.
When he finally went down, Maddrey recalled, people, police, and court officials rushed into the park to try to put out the fire.
“He doused himself and threw these pamphlets across the park … and immediately just lit himself on fire,” a witness said.
According to the witness, the flames “were just massive immediately.”
It was a “pretty horrific thing to see,” he said.
The booklets seemed to be “propaganda-based,” according to the officials. Azzarello was referred to the officials as a “conspiracy theorist.”
According to officials, Azzarello is from St. Augustine, Florida, and arrived in New York earlier this week. Officials stated that it seems he took action alone.
“We’re really worried,” Maddrey expressed. Suggesting that the Trump trial is the “gravity of the event going on,” he added that the NYPD will examine security protocol.
Regarding a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Trump is being charged with felonies. It is the first time in history that a former president of the United States has faced criminal prosecution.
The jury selection phase of the trial started on Monday. The entire jury panel was chosen by Friday noon.
On Monday, there will be opening remarks.
