A tragic incident occurred outside the Manhattan court where former President Donald Trump’s hush-money trial is taking place, resulting in the death of a man who set himself on fire.

Maxwell Azzarello, 37, reportedly doused himself in a flammable liquid before igniting and tossing conspiracy-theory pamphlets into the air. This shocking event unfolded just after the completion of jury selection for Mr. Trump’s trial.

Emergency responders rushed Mr. Azzarello to the hospital in critical condition on Friday. Regrettably, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away, as confirmed by CBS News, a partner of the BBC in the US.

During the incident, Mr. Trump was present inside the building for jury selection, under the protection of a security detail. However, he left the scene as soon as the incident occurred.

The New York City police department announced on Saturday that Mr. Azzarello was pronounced dead by hospital staff, according to NBC reports.

Security at the court remained intact following Friday’s incident, confirmed emergency officials. The legal proceedings, which had just concluded alternate jury selection, resumed later in the afternoon, with opening statements anticipated to commence on Monday.

According to investigators, a 911 call was received around 13:30 local time (18:30 GMT) reporting a man who had set himself on fire. The individual was identified as Maxwell Azzarello, 37, who had recently arrived in New York from his residence in Florida within the past week. There was no record of criminal activity associated with Mr. Azzarello in New York, and his family in Florida was unaware of his travel to the city.

New York Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey indicated that Mr. Azzarello had been observed “moving about” in the park before retrieving flammable liquid and pamphlets from a bag.

Chief Maddrey described the pamphlets as “propaganda-based” and related to a “conspiracy theory”.

Given the trial proceedings, there was a significant police presence outside the courthouse, and officers promptly responded by entering the park and calling for a fire extinguisher. Mr. Azzarello was subsequently transported away on a stretcher, sustaining severe burns. Police confirmed he was taken to a hospital burn center in critical condition.

Witness Julie Berman recounted to reporters, “It was hot, and it didn’t make a lot of sense. The whole thing happened so fast… it took me like 20 seconds to figure out what was going on.”

Later, NYPD investigators were observed collecting pamphlets that Mr. Azzarello had scattered before self-immolating, and they have since deemed the area safe.

Investigators are continuing to interview witnesses and have indicated that Mr. Azzarello did not appear to say anything before setting himself on fire.

Three NYPD officers and one court officer sustained minor injuries while assisting in extinguishing the blaze.

Officials have stated that they will now reassess security measures outside the court in light of the incident.