A man named Max Azzarello set himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s trial was taking place, citing political motives in a manifesto. Azzarello is alive but critically injured, and police witnessed him douse himself with a liquid before igniting. Responders at the scene helped extinguish the fire, and his pamphlets and social media posts hint at conspiracy theories, although officials do not believe he targeted anyone specific. Azzarello’s manifesto declares his extreme act as a way to draw attention to what he believes is an urgent and important discovery related to a conspiracy involving cryptocurrencies and governmental collusion.
A recently emerged manifesto attributed to Azzarello appears to be driven by political motives. Azzarello allegedly runs a Substack page titled “The Ponzi Papers” and his latest entry discusses setting himself on fire outside the Trump trial. He claims that the government is about to execute an apocalyptic fascist world coup and that they are victims of a totalitarian con. The lengthy manifesto includes references to complex conspiracies involving cryptocurrencies and governmental collusion, echoing themes from Azzarello’s recent social media activity. He concluded the manifesto by expressing hope for the power of individuals amidst the chaos.
New York authorities have confirmed that Azzarello is alive but in critical condition after setting himself on fire. Chief of the New York Police Department Jeffrey Maddrey described the sequence of events leading up to the incident, where Azzarello walked into a park, threw pamphlets, doused himself with liquid, and lit himself on fire. Responders, including civilians, court officers, and police officers, rushed to extinguish the fire using coats and fire extinguishers. Eventually, responders from the New York Fire Department were successful in putting out the fire, and Azzarello was reported to be alive but intubated at a burn center.
The incident occurred outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump’s hush money trial takes place, as Judge Juan Merchan was adjourning for lunch on the third day of the trial. Video footage showed Azzarello kneeling on the ground, his arms waving frantically as flames consumed him. Witnesses described the distressing scene as police officers and a civilian rushed to help, with one individual attempting to smother the flames with a coat or blanket. Azzarello remained motionless after the fire was extinguished and was attended to by paramedics, leaving bystanders in shock and some in tears.
Chief of detectives for the NYPD, Joseph Kenny, stated that Azzarello’s actions were likely not directly motivated by Trump’s trial, and his pamphlets and social media posts suggest that the trial served as a backdrop rather than the main motivation for his extreme act. Authorities labeled Azzarello as a conspiracy theorist, as he had no criminal history in New York and was not previously known to law enforcement. Deputy Commissioner of the NYPD, Tarik Sheppard, emphasized that investigators did not see Azzarello’s actions as targeting any specific individual or group, including Trump or his supporters, but rather as motivated by his beliefs in conspiracy theories. The investigation is ongoing to determine the full extent of Azzarello’s motives and intentions.
