A man set himself on fire near the Lower Manhattan courthouse where jurors were being chosen for the trial of former President Donald J. Trump. He doused himself with accelerant in Collect Pond Park, across the street from the building.
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Onlookers screamed and started to run as bright orange flames engulfed the man. He threw leaflets into the air before setting himself on fire. People rushed to put out the flames, but the heat was intense.
After a minute or two, dozens of police officers arrived, running around and climbing over barricades to extinguish the blaze. The man was loaded into an ambulance and rushed to a hospital burn unit. He died on Friday
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Max Azzarello, 37, of St. Augustine, Fla., was identified by city officials. He appeared outside the courthouse on Thursday, holding a sign displaying the address of a website where the same pamphlets were uploaded. The top post of the website says, “I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial.” Mr. Azzarello walked around Lower Manhattan earlier in the week, holding a sign critical of New York University at Washington Square Park before moving on Thursday to Collect Pond Park.
On Thursday at the park, Mr. Azzarello held up signs and even shouted towards a group of reporters, saying, “Biggest scoop of your life or your money back!” One of his signs claimed that Mr. Trump and President Biden were “about to fascist coup us.”
Mr. Azzarello mentioned in an interview that his views on the American government were influenced by his research on Peter Thiel, a technology billionaire and political provocateur, as well as his exploration of cryptocurrency.
Mr. Azzarello mentioned that he relocated from Washington Square Park to the courthouse area because he thought more people would be there despite the cold weather. He expressed his belief that there is a secret kleptocracy and that it could lead to an apocalyptic fascist coup, with Mr. Trump being involved. The police stated that Mr. Azzarello arrived in New York City after April 13, and his family is in St.
Mr. Azzarello’s whereabouts were unknown to Augustine until after the incident. Although he was recently in Florida, he had connections to the New York City area and worked for Representative Tom Suozzi during his 2013 campaign for Nassau County executive on Long Island.
Watch the full video here.
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