NEW YORK (AP) — A man who doused himself with an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump was on trial has died, police said.
New York City police told The Associated Press early Saturday that the man was pronounced dead by staff at an area hospital.
The man was at Collect Pond Park around 1:30 p.m. Friday when he pulled out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, threw them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said.
When it happened, there were many police officers around. Several officers and bystanders came to the aid of the man, who was in critical condition in hospital at the time.
The man, who police said had recently traveled from Florida to New York, had not violated any security checkpoints to gain access to the park.
The park outside the courthouse was a gathering place for protesters, journalists and spectators during Trump’s trial, which began Monday with jury selection.
Through Friday, the streets and sidewalks in the area around the courthouse were generally wide open and crowds were small and largely orderly.
Authorities said they were also reviewing security protocols, including whether to restrict access to the park. The side street where Trump enters and leaves the building is off-limits.
“We may have to close this area,” Kaz Daughtry, deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department, said at a news conference outside the courthouse on Friday, adding that officials would discuss the security plan soon.
