- Written by Thomas Mackintosh
- bbc news
A man who self-immolated outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial is being held has died.
Maxwell Azzarello, 37, doused himself in the liquid before throwing a conspiracy theory pamphlet into the air.
The incident occurred just as jury selection for Trump’s trial was completed.
He was taken to hospital in critical condition on Friday and later died, the BBC’s US partner CBS News confirmed.
Trump was in the building to attend jury selection with security personnel present, but the former president left during the incident.
New York City police said early Saturday morning that Azzarello was pronounced dead by hospital staff, NBC reported.
Security at the courthouse was not breached in Friday’s incident, emergency officials said. The case resumed in the late afternoon after alternate jury selection. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday.
Investigators said they received an emergency call at around 1:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. British Columbia time) reporting that a man had self-immolated.
They identified him as Maxwell Azzarello, 37, who arrived in New York from his home in Florida sometime last week. He had no criminal history in New York, and his family in Florida had no knowledge that he had traveled to New York.
New York City Police Chief Jeffrey Madeley said Azzarello was seen “limping” through the park before reaching for a bag containing flammable liquid and pamphlets.
Madrid added that the pamphlet was “propaganda-based” and concerned “conspiracy theories.”
There was a large police presence outside the courthouse for the trial, and officers quickly ran into the park screaming for fire extinguishers. Mr. Azzarello was carried away on a stretcher, his body suffering from severe burns. Police said the man was taken to the hospital’s burn center in critical condition.
Witness Julie Berman told reporters: “It was hot and it didn’t make much sense. Everything happened so fast… It took me about 20 seconds to realize what was going on. ” he said.
Later, NYPD investigators were seen collecting pamphlets that Azzarello had distributed before he self-immolated. They deemed the area safe.
Investigators are still interviewing witnesses and say it appears the man did not say anything before setting the fire.
Three New York City police officers and one court employee who helped extinguish the fire suffered minor injuries.
Officials said they would reevaluate security outside the courtroom.