Self-immolation of Maxwell Azzarello

Coordinates: 40°42′58.4″N 74°00′06.5″W / 40.716222°N 74.001806°W / 40.716222; -74.001806
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Self-immolation of Maxwell Azzarello
Part of reactions to the prosecution of Donald Trump in New York
Collect Pond Park in Manhattan after the self-immolation
DateApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
LocationCollect Pond Park, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Coordinates40°42′58.4″N 74°00′06.5″W / 40.716222°N 74.001806°W / 40.716222; -74.001806
TypeSelf-immolation
DeathsMaxwell Crosby Azzarello
A photo of one of Azzarello's which reads: "TRUMP IS WITH BIDEN AND THEY'RE ABOUT TO FASCIST COUP US."
One of Azzarello's signs

On April 19, 2024, at around 1:35 pm EDT, Maxwell Crosby Azzarello (April 11, 1987[1] – April 19, 2024), a 37-year-old man,[2] immolated himself in Collect Pond Park in New York City, outside the courthouse where jurors were being chosen for the New York state criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump.[2][3][4]

Background[edit]

Azzarello was a graduate of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill,[5] and in 2013, he worked as an Operations Director for Tom Suozzi during his run for Nassau County Executive.[6] Azzarello was arrested three times in August 2023, once when he allegedly threw a glass of wine at former U.S. President Bill Clinton's autograph displayed in the lobby of the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, and damaged it.[5][7]

Days before the jury selection in the New York state criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump began, Azzarello traveled from his home in St. Augustine, Florida, to New York without his family's knowledge.[8] The day prior to his self-immolation, he had protested with signs and gave an interview critical of the U.S. government.[7]

Incident[edit]

On the day that he self-immolated, Azzarello posted a 2,700-word manifesto to his Substack[9][10] before the incident, describing his intent to bring attention to a "totalitarian con" and writing that the U.S. government is "about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup."[11][12] Azzarello also emailed his manifesto to several newsrooms around the country.[13] According to Newsweek, Azzarello had also posted an Instagram story praising the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell, writing "Heroes and martyrs, folks."[14][15]

After throwing leaflets into the air, Azzarello doused himself with an accelerant and set himself on fire.[2] Officers arrived within minutes and extinguished the blaze before he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he died hours later.[2][16] Azzarello was a registered organ donor, and following his death, his two kidneys were used to save the lives of two people.[17][18]

CNN live coverage[edit]

CNN anchor Laura Coates was widely praised for keeping her composure during her live coverage of Maxwell Azzarello's self-immolation.[19][20] Coates was in the middle of a live interview with a jury selection expert when Azzarello self-immolated in the park nearby. She initially incorrectly stated that there was an active shooter before quickly correcting herself when she realized what was happening.[21] She then rapidly narrated the immolation live for two minutes as it happened.[19]

The video of Coates's coverage went viral online, with many social media users and members of the press praising her coverage.[19][20] There was also some criticism of her initial statement that there was an active shooter, and former news anchor Keith Olbermann criticized CNN for providing "live coverage of a suicide attempt".[21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Max Azzarello criminal mischief complaint, St. Augustine Police Department, September 19, 2023, archived from the original on April 21, 2024, retrieved April 20, 2024
  2. ^ a b c d Schweber, Nate; Haag, Matthew (April 19, 2024). "Man Sets Himself on Fire Near Courthouse Where Trump Is on Trial". The New York Times. Wesley Parnell, Alan Feuer, Chelsia Rose Marcius, Jan Ransom, Maria Cramer, Stefanos Chen, Nicholas Fandos and Dana Rubinstein contributed. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Shapiro, Emily; Katersky, Aaron; Rubin, Olivia (April 20, 2024). "Man sets himself on fire outside courthouse where Trump is on trial". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Shabad, Rebecca; Kroll, Susan; Doyle, Katherine (April 19, 2024). "Man sets himself on fire outside courthouse where Trump trial is being held". NBC News. Adam Reiss, Jonathan Dienst, Emilie Dorn and Phil Helsel contributed. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Max Azzarello, who self-immolated outside Trump's trial venue was 'suicidal'". Hindustan Times. April 20, 2024. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Wilson, Michael; Tully, Tracey; Ransom, Jan (April 20, 2024). "A Life Overtaken by Conspiracy Theories Explodes in Flames as the Public Looks On". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "'Total disbelief': Friends shocked by man setting himself on fire outside Trump trial, say he was kind but troubled". NBC News. April 23, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Mitchell, Ben; Martichoux, Alix (April 19, 2024). "Florida man sets himself on fire outside the courthouse where Trump's currently having his trial". WFLA-TV. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Miller, Justin (April 19, 2024). "Man Who Self-Immolated Near Trump Trial Dies: How It Happened". New York Magazine: Intelligencer. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024. Man identified as Max Azzarello, who published manifesto minutes before the fire: The man who set himself on fire was identified by law-enforcement sources in the press as Max Azzarello, 37, of St. Augustine, Florida. Approximately five minutes before the fire, a post was published to Substack by a man of the same name, saying he had set himself on fire outside the Trump trial.
  10. ^ Maxwell Azzarello (April 19, 2024). "I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial". The Ponzi Papers. Substack. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Bedigan, Mike; Rissman, Kelly (April 19, 2024). "Max Azzarello: What we know about man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Fiallo, Josh; Daly, Michael; Shugerman, Emily; Bredderman, William; Briquelet, Kate (April 19, 2024). "Trump Trial Self-Immolator Posted Dizzying Manifesto Online". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Perkins, Tobie Nell (April 19, 2024). "What we know about St. Augustine, Florida man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial". WLXT News19. TEGNA Inc. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Rommen, Rebecca (April 20, 2024). "Man 'who cared about the world' dies after setting himself on fire outside Trump trial". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Mordowanec, Nick (April 19, 2024). "Max Azzarello Praised 'Martyrs' Who Light Selves on Fire Before Trump Trial". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Wilson, Michael; Tully, Tracey; Ransom, Jan (April 20, 2024). "A Life Overtaken by Conspiracy Theories Explodes in Flames as the Public Looks On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  17. ^ William, Clayton (April 21, 2024). "Man who fatally set himself on fire outside Manhattan courthouse has both kidneys donated". WJAX-TV. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Fiallo, Josh (April 21, 2024). "Trump Trial Self-Immolator Donated Both His Kidneys, Saving Two People's Lives". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Ferguson, Amber (April 20, 2024). "A history of CNN's Laura Coates, who calmly narrated a self-immolation". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Baragona, Justin (April 19, 2024). "CNN's Laura Coates Draws High Praise for 'Breathtaking' Coverage of Trump Trial Fire". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Rutenberg, Jim (April 20, 2024). "CNN's Coverage of Man Who Set Himself on Fire Shows Challenges of Live News". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

External links[edit]

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