A conspiracy theorist set himself on fire outside of Donald Trump's hush money trial: cops

A Florida man set himself on fire Friday outside the downtown Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial for 34 counts of falsifying business records, according to officials.

Officials said Maxwell Azzarello from St. Augustine, Florida walked into the park across from the courthouse, threw the pamphlets down and lit himself on fire.

Police and the fire department were called to the scene shortly after 1:30 p.m. Bystanders tried to help put out the fire with their coats and a fire extinguisher. Azzarello was transported to the NY Presbyterian-Cornell hospital burn unit where he is in critical condition.

There is no further threat to public safety, police said.

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Police called Maxwell Azzarello a conspiracy theorist

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph E. Kenny said police believe Azzarello came to New York from Florida sometime after April 13, but his family did not know he was there.

Kenny also called the man a conspiracy theorist based on the pamphlets he dropped and something posted online in relation to the incident.

"The pamphlets seem to be propaganda based, almost like a conspiracy theory type of pamphlet, some information in regards to Ponzi schemes, and the fact that some of our local educational institutes are fronts for the mob so a little bit of conspiracy theory going on there," Kenny said.

In a Substack post reportedly written by Azzarello, he said the incident was "an extreme act of protest."

He said he is an investigative researcher, and delves into theories on cryptocurrency, the Silicon Valley Bank failure, and various educational institutions.

"To my friends and family, witnesses and first responders, I deeply apologize for inflicting this pain upon you," the post reads. "But I assure you it is a drop in the bucket compared to what our government intends to inflict."

'Oh, I think I'm gonna see something bad here': Witnesses recount charred face

An Upper West Side resident, who asked to be identified by his first name Dave but did not want to provide his full name, told USA TODAY he was walking by when he heard pamphlets fall to the ground.

"He had a can, and he poured fluid all over himself, at which point I said, 'oh I think I'm gonna see something bad here,'" Dave said. "And sure enough, he pulled out a lighter, I think a lighter, and set himself on fire."

Julie Berman also said she witnessed the man being taken away on a stretcher.

"His face was completely black," she said.

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Fire broke out near media on scene for Trump hush money trial

Footage from the scene posted by a Politico reporter shows a person engulfed in flames near where multiple camera crews were set up. CNN reporters said they saw the incident live on air.

Deputy Police Commissioner Tarik Sheppard told reporters that Azzarello did not cross the security perimeter outside the courthouse where Trump's trial is being held.

“There was no security breach here,” Sheppard said.

Shortly after the incident, Sheppard said he requested a bomb squad search of area for secondary devices and weapons. As of the time of the press conference, he said no devices had been found.

Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said three police officers and one court officer suffered minor injuries from the fire.

Authorities are determining whether to ramp up security around the courthouse in light of the incident but have not made a firm decision yet. 

"We'll be continuing with the search this area. And as far as your question about enhanced security procedures. We're going to take that look into this," Sheppard said. "We may have to shut this area down. We're gonna have a conversation."

Trial participants are aware of the events that occurred outside the courthouse.

Contributing: Bart Jansen