On Friday, an unidentified man reportedly set himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse where former United States President Donald Trump is facing trial on criminal charges related to falsifying business records.
It was gathered that the man was covered in flames outside of the courthouse on Friday afternoon.
The fourth day of the Trump trial was underway, with jury selection wrapping up.
“There is chaos that is happening,” a witness was quoted by CNN.
The witness continued: “I can smell the burning of agent used.
“We now have officers removing their coats, trying to surround his body to engulf him from further going into flames,” she said.
“People are climbing over the barricade to try to separate the public from this man.”
A viral video showed the man still in flames and twitching on the concrete as a police officer rushed over with a fire extinguisher.
Recall that there has been massive security at the trial as Trump faces felony charges related to hush money payments he allegedly made to adult film star Daniels.
The man was eventually carried away on a stretcher.
The man’s condition was not immediately known. A backpack and a gas can remained visible at the scene, according to CNN.
Moments before the incident, a full jury of 12 people and six alternates were seated for Trump’s trial, setting the stage for expected opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former US president.
The jury includes a sales professional, a software engineer, an English teacher and multiple lawyers.
Lawyers had spent days questioning dozens of New Yorkers to determine their ability to serve impartially. Dozens of potential jurors had been dismissed after saying they did not believe they could be fair in the case.
The judge has ruled that the jurors names will be known only to prosecutors, Trump and their legal teams.
