Man dies after setting himself on fireplace exterior courthouse the place Trump trial is being held

A person who set himself on fireplace Friday exterior the courthouse the place former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial is happening has died, New York Metropolis police mentioned early Saturday.

The person, whom police recognized as Maxwell Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, was within the designated protest space exterior.

No time of loss of life was given by police. He was declared deceased by employees on the hospital the place he had been taken, the NYPD mentioned.

NYPD Chief of Division Jeffrey B. Maddrey informed reporters that Azzarello walked into the middle of the park, shuffled round his garments, opened a backpack and took out and threw quite a few pamphlets on the bottom. He then pulled out a canister, poured a liquid accelerant on himself, lit himself on fireplace, fell on a police barrier after which fell to the bottom.

Police mentioned the person entered Acquire Pond Park, throughout the road from the courthouse, at round 1:30 p.m. earlier than setting himself on fireplace. Bystanders, court docket officers and police used coats and fireplace extinguishers to attempt to put out the fireplace and assist him, Maddrey mentioned.

It appeared to occur across the time that the jury for Trump’s trial was totally empaneled — with 12 jurors and 6 alternates chosen to sit down for a trial that is anticipated to final about six weeks. It occurred simply earlier than the court docket took a lunch break.

New York Metropolis Fireplace Commissioner Laura Kavanagh informed reporters that Azzarello was taken to the burn unit at Weill Cornell Medical Heart, the place he had been described as alive however in vital situation.

4 cops and one court docket officer sustained minor accidents from coping with the fireplace, Kavanagh mentioned.

Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny mentioned Azzarello was born in 1987 and arrived in New York Metropolis earlier within the week. He mentioned that members of the family police have been in touch with after the incident have been unaware that Azzarello was in New York. Kenny mentioned Azzarello’s pamphlets gave the impression to be “propaganda-based” about Ponzi schemes and conspiracy theories.

Police mentioned they do not consider Azzarello was concentrating on any specific individual or group.

Regulation enforcement deployed a bomb squad search staff simply in case, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry mentioned, and no gadgets have been discovered within the space.

Three regulation enforcement sources informed NBC Information earlier that the person seems to have been a follower of some conspiracy theories and should have had emotional points. He could have posted his intention to set himself on fireplace prematurely, the sources mentioned. 

Moments after setting himself on fireplace, the person was mendacity on the bottom, burning. At occasions, he appeared to grab. Police tried to make use of a small fireplace extinguisher to place the fireplace out, however have been unsuccessful. Whereas nonetheless on fireplace, the person tried to sit down up. Police then used a big extinguisher to place out the fireplace.

A 73-year-old man from the Higher West Facet, Dave, watched it occur. Dave mentioned the individual threw up a bundle of pamphlets, picked them up and threw them once more.

“I heard this clattering,” he mentioned. “That caught our attention. Then he pulled out a can.”

David mentioned he noticed the person start to douse himself in one thing earlier than taking out a lighter.

“There I thought, this could be awful,” he mentioned. “I’m old enough to remember the Vietnam War.”

He mentioned the individual then set himself alight and was shortly engulfed in flames. The individual did not make a sound as individuals round him regarded on, horrified.

Ed Quinn, a contract photojournalist who lives within the East Village, mentioned he was dealing with the court docket when: “I heard someone scream, ‘He’s going to light himself on fire.'” 

“I see him dumping gasoline on his face, very deliberately,” he mentioned. “He had [a] gray t-shirt on. It soaked his face. It soaked his shirt. Boom, he went up.”

Quinn mentioned it took the police a few minute to reach. 

“Women were begging, screaming, put it out, put him out,” he mentioned.