Trigger Warning: Man Sets Himself On Fire Outside Of Courthouse Where Trump Is On Trial

Image for article titled Trigger Warning: Man Sets Himself On Fire Outside Of Courthouse Where Trump Is On Trial

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On Friday (April 19), a man—whose identity remains unknown—set himself on fire near the Manhattan courthouses where jurors are being selected for the criminal trial of Donald Trump.

The incident took place around 1:30 p.m. EST in Collect Pond Park, which is located directly across the street from the courthouse. Witnesses yelled and ran right before the man was covered in flames.

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Some people tried to help and extinguish the fire, but the flames raged on intensely. The reason the man set himself on fire is unclear. Soon after, dozens of cops ran over and tried to put out the fire.

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The man, who seemingly was still alive, was placed into an ambulance and taken away from the scene immediately. A witness told The New York Times that the man threw pamphlets into the air before setting himself on fire.

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Some of the pamphlets contained information about former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Al Gore and the attorney David Boies, who represented Gore in the 2000 presidential election recount.

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The man was wearing jeans and a dark gray t-shirt. He was also standing in an area of the park that was full of Trump supporters. Isabelle Brourman, who is a courtroom sketch artist, told reporters she saw a man wrap himself in a flag and light himself on fire in the park outside court.

The trial for the former president started on Monday with jury selection. The trial will not be televised, so there’s no video footage or photos of the proceedings. Trump is facing felony charges stemming from a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

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This is the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges. The full jury panel was selected on Friday.

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