Man self immolates outside Trump trial courthouse in NY – NewsNation Now
NewsNation
Steph Whiteside
(NewsNation) — A man lit himself on fire outside a New York City courthouse where jury selection was concluding in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump.
Authorities identified the man as Maxwell Azzarello, born in 1987, from St. Augustine, Florida. Azzarello was transported to the burn unit at Cornell and remains there in critical condition.
It’s not clear what led to Azzarello setting himself on fire. NewsNation’s Laura Ingle reported hearing a scream before witnessing the man in flames. She later described seeing a bystander try and help put the flames out with a coat before another showed up with a fire extinguisher.
According to police, Azzarello entered a park across the street from the courthouse before pouring an accelerant on himself and lighting himself on fire. The accelerant is believed to be a substance used in cleaning.
Multiple witnesses said they saw Azarello throwing flyers out prior to the fire, but it wasn’t clear what was on them. Police confirmed that information and described the flyers as “conspiracy-oriented.”
A witness told WPIX that Azzarello poured a flammable liquid on himself and told people to stand back before lighting it. The witness said the man also made statements of a political nature.
Fred Gates, who saw what happened, said he at first thought Azzarello was just pretending to pour an accelerant on himself but still alerted police of a potential problem.
“He had a backpack. He took the backpack off, put it on the ground and opened it up very calmly. Took out two cans, half-size gas cans,” Gates said. “Doused one side with one and started to douse the other side with the other. At this time, I started to run away.”
Gates said Azzarello’s appearance was unremarkable, describing him as a short, skinny white man who appeared to be in his 20s.
Authorities said there is no ongoing safety concern, though a bomb truck was seen arriving on the scene. In a press conference, police said no explosive devices had been found, but they were continuing to search the area as a precaution.
Four officers who responded to the incident received minor injuries but are described as being in stable condition.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
– Over 200 pounds of cocaine were seized by Texas DPS troopers during a truck traffic stop in South Texas as part of the state’s Operation Lone Star border security initiative, the agency said Friday.
LEBANON, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana man who won a primary election for a township board position while charged with killing his estranged wife has been found guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. A Boone County jury convicted Andrew Wilhoite, 41, of Lebanon on Thursday, local news outlets reported. Wilhoite was charged […]
A new rapid blood test to help assess concussions has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal prosecutors want to revoke the U.S. citizenship of a South Africa man convicted of killing two Alaska Native women for allegedly lying on his naturalization application for saying he had neither killed nor hurt anyone. Brian Steven Smith, 52, was convicted earlier this year in the deaths of the two […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Opening statements in Donald Trump’s hush money case are set to begin next week after a jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday. The seating of the jury sets the stage for weeks of testimony in a case charging Trump with falsifying business records to suppress stories about […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Mario Andretti said Friday he was deeply offended by the language Formula One Management used in denying his family and General Motors the opportunity to join the global motorsports series. The 1978 Formula 1 world champion posted on social media he was “devastated” when F1 rejected Andretti and General Motors […]
West was adamant that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
An attorney asked a federal appeals court on Friday to block a controversial Florida law signed last year that restricts Chinese citizens from buying real estate in much of the state, calling it discriminatory and a violation of the federal government’s supremacy in deciding foreign affairs. Attorney Ashley Gorski, representing four Chinese nationals who live […]
The family of a teen found dead long the side of a Oklahoma highway in September says they still have no answers about what happened to him.