Man who set himself ablaze outside Trump courthouse has died: NYPD

In this image taken from video, bystanders react after witnessing a man who lit himself on fire was extinguished, Friday, April 19, 2024, in a park outside Manhattan criminal court in New York. Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after the fire was extinguished outside the courthouse where jury selection was taking place in former President Donald Trump's hush money criminal case. (AP Photo)

A man who set himself ablaze outside the New York City court where former US president Donald Trump is standing trial has died of his injuries, police said early Saturday.

Police had previously identified the man as Maxwell Azzarello from St Augustine, Florida.

Witnesses described seeing him throw pamphlets into the air on Friday just before dousing himself with an unspecified liquid and setting himself on fire in a park near the courthouse.

The man was rushed to treatment, but a spokesman for the New York Police Department confirmed to AFP early Saturday that the man had died, without offering further details.

Hearings in the Trump case resumed after lunch despite the incident. Trump declined to respond to questions about Azzarello as he returned to court after the break.

SOURCEAFP News
664Connect Media
Follow us @664connectmedia on socials; email 664connect@gmail.com or call / WhatsApp 1-664-392-1664.