It was 1:30 p.m. on Friday when
Maxwell Azzarello (37)
began handing out leaflets, which talked about conspiracy theories, in front of the New York court that is trying the former president of the United States Donald Trump. It was seconds before
he was doused with a flammable product and set on fire.
Early this Saturday, the New York City Police Department confirmed that the man was pronounced dead by staff at an area hospital.
The incident occurred in
Collect Pond Park
, where this self-proclaimed "researcher" had arrived from Florida. At that time, the court had finished selecting the jurors, 12 starters and 6 alternates, who will seal the fate of Trump - accused of falsifying his company's accounting records to hide a payment to a porn actress, Stormy. Daniels, in 2016 - in a historic trial that sees a former president on the bench for the first time.
Several witnesses said they saw Azzarello throw some pamphlets into the air and then open a container, pour the contents over his body and set himself on fire with a lighter.
"Trump is with Biden and they are about to give us a fascist coup
," was one of the signs he held up in front of the court.
After the self-immolation, police swarmed the area while an ambulance followed closely and he was taken to the burn unit of a nearby hospital in critical condition. He but he died around 10:30 p.m.
According to the police report, Azzarello did not bypass any security checks to enter the park. There was a strong police presence nearby, as journalists, protesters and even onlookers arrived for the trial of the republican candidate.
Until Friday, the streets and sidewalks in the vicinity of the Court were generally open to traffic and the gatherings had been small and orderly.
Following the incident, authorities indicated they were reviewing safety protocols, including the possibility of restricting access to the park. The side street through which Trump enters and exits the building had been isolated.
“We may have to close that area,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry admitted at a news conference outside the courthouse, adding that authorities were going to discuss the security plan soon.
Azzarello had traveled to New York City in recent days from Florida without his family's knowledge and had been protesting outside the courthouse where he attacked political leaders from both sides of the aisle, the
NY Post noted.
He had previously
been arrested three times
over several days in Florida, including charges of disorderly conduct and property damage last August.
After his third arrest, local police noticed he was suicidal and listed him as unemployed, according to police reports.
Court in New York, Trump leaves to campaign in North Carolina
Upset by his judicial problems, former US President Donald Trump is holding a rally in North Carolina this Saturday, his first major campaign event since the start of his trial in New York.
The Republican billionaire will speak in Wilmington, a town in this state strongly contested with his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, for the presidential elections on November 5.
The man hoping to make a triumphant return to the White House is on trial in New York for covert payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels to allegedly buy her silence about an extramarital affair days before the 2016 election, which she won against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump, who denounces a "witch hunt", has protested several times that the trial does not leave him freedom of maneuver.
"He should be in Pennsylvania and Florida now, and in many other states, in North Carolina, in Georgia, campaigning," he said indignantly this week.
On Friday he again attacked the judge of his trial in New York, historic for being the first criminal trial against a former US president.
"This is electoral interference at a level never seen before in the United States," he said on his Truth Social platform.
"If a president is not granted immunity, any president who leaves office will be immediately impeached by the opposing party," he claimed.
With information from AP and AFP
DP