A man set himself on fire on Friday afternoon outside the Lower Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial is taking place.
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Witnesses say the man doused himself with liquid in Collect Pond Park, a designated protest area across the street from the courthouse, before orange flames soon engulfed him. It was unclear what motivated his action, though he appeared to have pamphlets describing a conspiracy involving cryptocurrency.
The incident occurred just moments after jury selection was completed in Trump’s hush-money case, the first criminal trial of an ex-President in U.S. history.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire. The man, who appeared to be alive, was taken on a stretcher into an ambulance. A spokesperson for the NYPD said he is in critical condition.
Before lighting himself on fire, witnesses say the man threw several colorful pamphlets into the air that call to “abolish our criminal government and replace it with one that serves all.” A person claiming to be the man on fire posted on Substack about the incident, referencing former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush and alleging a cryptocurrency-based global conspiracy.
Videos circulating on social media showed the man lying on the ground on fire as smoke billowed near the Manhattan courthouse, which already had a heavy police presence due to the high profile nature of the trial taking place.
Trump, who has been present in the courtroom throughout the proceedings, faces allegations related to a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with him from becoming public during the 2016 election.
Opening statements in the trial are expected to begin on Monday.
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