Max Azzarello, man who set himself on fire outside Trump hush money trial, dies: NYPD

Max Azzarello, the Florida man who set himself on fire outside Manhattan Criminal Court where former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial was being held, has died of his extensive self-inflicted injuries, cops said Saturday.

Azzarello set himself on fire inside Collect Pond Park across the street from the courthouse to draw attention to his rambling conspiracy theories about an upcoming “apocalyptic fascist world coup” at about 1:30 p.m. Friday, shocking onlookers making their way through the park.

Azzarello was rushed to the burn unit at New York Presbyterian-Cornell Hospital, where he died just before 11 p.m. Friday night, police confirmed.

There was no indication in his treatise that Azzarello had any specific grievances related to the trial or Trump.

Azzarello, described by authorities as a “conspiracy theorist,” posted his rambling manifesto just before the blaze began.

“I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan,” the 37-year-old Azzarello wrote. “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.”

Attempts to reach his family were unsuccessful Saturday, although friends and colleagues mourned his death on social media.

Longtime friend Chris Barnhart told the Daily News that he and Azzarello bonded over shared world political views.

“He just wanted to see a better world,” he said. “I see a lot of talk from people about him being unstable or insane, and I don’t think that’s it. I think he was desperate. I think he was desperately trying to make sense of the constantly deteriorating American Dream, and figure out why our political leaders — Democrat and Republican both — aren’t putting our needs first.”

Azzarello wanted peace above all, he added.

“Didn’t matter who you were or what you did. You could spit in his face and he’d still extend a hand,” he said. “Because he understands what so few Americans do: that we shouldn’t be fighting each other.”

While Azzarello lived in Florida, his immediate family lived in Brooklyn and Long Island. Cops were trying to determine where he was staying before he was caught on camera walking into Collect Pond Park Friday. Relatives said they didn’t know he was in the city, the NYPD said.

Azzarello has no arrest record in New York, but had several run-ins with the law in Florida last year, authorities said.

On Aug. 19, he was arrested on criminal mischief charges for throwing a glass of wine at a framed photo of former President Bill Clinton at the Casa Monica Resort & Spa, causing about $500 worth of damage. Days later, he was arrested for disturbing the peace for screaming and scaring the customers at the Casa Monica while only clad in his underwear, cops said.

He was also taken into custody at a United Way in St. Augustine after he allegedly broke and defaced a construction sign he stole from a pickup truck, police sources said.

On Facebook, Azzarello wrote he spent “three days” in a psych ward in August — before his run-ins with the law even began.

“If you’ve ever seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and you feel for so many of the mentally challenged people, it’s a whole lot like that,” he wrote about his time in the psychiatric hospital. “I’m often very shy around new people, and I’m infinitely grateful for the patients who had no problem breaking social mores and making damn sure I was a part of their community.”

Word of the self-immolation occurred as prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys finished selecting the final alternate jurors for the hush money trial involving porn actress Stormy Daniels, which is expected to continue on Monday. Trump has not commented on Azzarello’s death on his Truth Social webpage.

The NYPD was expected to review security procedures both inside and outside the courthouse following Friday’s fire. The park was open to the public Friday afternoon so Azzarello “did not breach the security protocols” the NYPD made with court officers and the secret service, Maddrey explained.

“We will reassess our security with our federal partners,” he said.