Max Azzarello, the man who lit himself on fire outside former President Donald Trump’s trial on Friday in New York City, had made several social media posts about pop star Taylor Swift.
Trump’s criminal trial had entered its fourth day of jury selection over alleged falsified business records related to hush money payments made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was indicted last April and continues to deny any wrongdoing.
In one Instagram story from nine weeks ago, Azzarello, 37, who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, shared a picture of Swift donned in Super Woman apparel with the caption: “Super Bowl LVII Forecast: 100% chance of broflakes melting down and whining across the nation.”
Max Azzarello
Under the photo, Azzarello added his own caption: “Why are we all so divided? Because the people who stole the American Dream are shouting ‘You’re divided! You’re divided!’ in all directions.”
In another Instagram story from that time period, Azzarello appeared to show his support for the Eras tour performer.
“Still her best picture,” Azzarello wrote over an image showing Swift flashing the peace sign while delivering a commencement speech at New York University.
Max Azzarello
Swift released her new Tortured Poets Department album, a 31-song release, on Friday.
Azzarello made a final Instagram story just minutes before setting himself ablaze outside the Manhattan courthouse.
“I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you,” the story said.
Azzarello’s condition
At roughly 1:37 p.m. ET, law enforcement received a report of a man on fire outside the courthouse. Azzarello was raced to a city hospital and listed in critical condition. The New York Police Department said an investigation is ongoing.
“We are watching a man who is fully emblazoned in front of the courthouse today. We are watching multiple fires breaking out around his body and person. We have seen an arm that has been visible, that has been engulfed in total flames,” CNN anchor Laura Coates said on air. “There is total chaos…people are wondering right now if people are in danger.”
Onlookers, including Newsweek reporter Katherine Fung, who was inside the courtroom, said Azzarello was holding a sign before lighting himself on fire. It appeared to show a link to a Substack site.
New York police said the link led to a page full of Azzarello’s political views, which included a diatribe about Ponzi schemes.
“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 Substack page reads.
No specific mention of Trump’s trial is on the site.
Right before his self-immolation, at 1:35 p.m., Azzarello threw various pamphlets in the air. Early reports said the pamphlets included references to former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Al Gore and attorney David Boies.
Azzarello, a registered Democrat, had various social media pages, including a LinkedIn profile that says he was a research investigator and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alum. He said he attended the school from 2005 to 2009 before going to Rutgers University from 2010 to 2012 and earning his master’s in city and regional planning.
Azzarello was active in political campaigns, as well, according to his LinkedIn, which says he worked on two Democratic congressional campaigns and most recently worked at OpenTent until October 2021.
His profile also says he “fell into a rabbit hole and learned all the secrets of the world” after the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank last year. Azzarello said he thought “cryptocurrency is our first planetary multi-trillion dollar Ponzi scheme.”
As Azzarello’s body burned in front of onlookers, Coates described the situation on CNN’s News Central: “We right now have officers removing their coats trying to surround this person…to prevent them from further going into flames,” Coates said. “You can smell burning flesh, you can smell an accelerant, the flames are continuing to engulf his person.”
As of 4:25 p.m. Friday, Azzarello remains in critical condition.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.