Police have identified the man as Max Azzarello, a Florida resident born in 1987 who came to New York earlier this week.
A colourful pamphlet was photographed at the scene, with the title “The True History of the World (Haunted Carnival Tradition).”
It is linked to a Substack manifesto belonging to Azzarello that claims: “I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan.
White fire extinguisher residue marks the spot in Collect Pond Park where a man lit himself on fire outside Manhattan criminal court on Friday.Credit: AP
“This extreme act of protest is to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery: We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup.”
The incident took place on the fourth day of Trump’s historic trial – he has been changed with 34 counts of falsifying business records before the 2016 election to cover up a sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels.
Daniels said she had sex with Trump in 2006, shortly after his wife Melania had given birth to their son. But the issue became a political liability 10 years later when Daniels had sought to sell the story while Trump was running for president against Hillary Clinton.
Former president Donald Trump’s motorcade leaves Manhattan federal court in New York.Credit: AP
To silence the affair, Trump’s fixer and lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $US130,000 in hush money, which Trump is alleged to have fraudulently filed as a legal expense.
The trial began on Monday, with hundreds of demonstrators and reporters descending on Lower Manhattan for the historic moment. Security had been beefed up across the city, with barricades stretching for blocks – including in the park, to separate pro and anti-Trump demonstrators.
Teams of police officers have also been stationed on every street since the trial began, and helicopters fly overhead whenever Trump’s Secret Service-led motorcade travels to and from his penthouse on Fifth Avenue.
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New York Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey admitted he was concerned by the incident, particularly given the presence of a former president nearby, and would now review security protocols.
However, he added: “This gentleman did not breach the security protocols. The park was open to the public. But of course, we’re going to look at everything and with the magnitude of what’s going on around right here, we’ll reassess our security with our federal partners. … If we need to tighten up security, maybe we’ll shut down the park.”
By the day’s end, all 18 members of the full jury had been selected: 12 seated jurors and six alternates (people who can step in to ensure the trial can continue to the end if a seated juror can’t proceed).
Trump ended the day lashing out at the trial and the “Democrat judge” overseeing it, Juan Merchan. However, did not respond to questions from reporters about the man who had set himself on fire.
The trial is due to resume on Monday (Tuesday AEST) with opening arguments.
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