How Max Azzarello’s ‘conspiracy theories’ led to self-immolation outside Trump trial

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Max Azzarello was a 37-year-old man who tragically passed away due to self-immolation outside the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump is currently on trial. Before his death, Azzarello had been sharing various theories online that were critical of the establishment. In one instance, he had written a long article on Substack, where he spoke out against politicians, billionaires, and even mentioned The Simpsons.

The document written in a manifesto style gave a warning about a possible takeover of the world by fascists leading to an apocalypse.

He walked into a park near the New York courthouse at around 1:30 pm on Friday, April 19th where the criminal trial of Donald Trump was being held. Shockingly, he set himself ablaze and the incident continued for a few minutes before it was brought under control by the authorities present, including police officers and the court staff.

According to statements made to NBC news, the hospital announced that he had passed away due to serious burns. Law enforcement did not provide any specific time of passing.

Azzarello's buddies characterized him as a kind and sociable guy. For some, it was difficult to comprehend how he could have committed his last deed because they knew him so intimately. However, others observed that his mother's passing had a profound influence on him, causing him to espouse conspiracy theories and exhibit erratic behavior.

Who Got Hurt?

In his extensive article, Azzarello identified himself as an inquisitive investigator.

According to authorities, the man's driver's license indicated that he was born in 1987 and originated from St. Augustine, Florida. Records that are available to the public, along with his LinkedIn profile, show that he is a member of the Democratic party and spent his college years at the University of North Carolina between 2005 and 2009. In 2012, he secured a master's degree in city and regional planning from Rutgers.

People who were near Azzarello explained that he was a gentle, imaginative, and knowledgeable person - though he had worries about the state of the world.

Steven Waldman, a friend of Azzarello from when they were in high school, told the New York Times that he believed Azzarello was highly intelligent, stating that he was one of the most clever individuals he ever met.

According to an article in the Times, when they were both students at Rutgers, Katie Brennan remembers that he put Post-it notes with encouraging messages all over the hallways for his classmates and also sang versions of Frank Sinatra and Disney tunes during karaoke sessions.

Ms. Brennan mentioned that he had a great curiosity for social justice and how things could be different. She also added that he had a vibrant and explorative personality.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Azzarello was employed as an operations director for Tom Suozzi's campaign in 2013. Suozzi, who is now a Congressman, was then competing for the position of Nassau County Executive.

According to his profile, he has experience working in various positions related to marketing, sales, and technology throughout his career, with some of those positions being located in Philadelphia.

According to his online posts, Azzarello relocated to St. Augustine, Florida after some time and is currently employed as an independent "research investigator".

Sometime within the current month, from April 13th to April 19th, he came into New York City without the knowledge of his relatives.

Azzarello's pals mentioned that things took a turn for him around the April dates, which happen to be around two years after the passing of his mother.

Mr. Waldman informed the Times that during that period, the individual began speaking more boldly. He had a positive connection with the deceased and they shared a strong bond. The individual was very emotional and felt deep sorrow at the news of their loss.

He shared a message of admiration for his mother on his Instagram account. In the post, he expressed his joy in being able to spend quality time with her during the past few months. Despite facing the struggles of COPD, his mother fought bravely until the very end and demonstrated remarkable resilience, grace, and fortitude. Her son is filled with immense pride and admiration for her.

After that point, his online presence took a noticeable turn. Rather than sharing updates about loved ones, he began to post frequently about the corrupt government and digital currencies.

Several people informed The Daily Beast that the individual in question has been displaying erratic behavior lately, and they also expressed worry about his online activity.

According to reports, in the month of June 2023, he apparently made a post on social media tagging Ms Brennan and some other people in a document he referred to as a "manifesto" which he had written. Ms Brennan was concerned about his writing and immediately contacted him, and later got in touch with one of his relatives to inform them about the situation.

The Times reported that in August, he shared on Facebook that he had been to a mental health facility. He said, "I spent three days in the psychiatric ward, and the best thing I got out of it was my new favorite socks."

Over the next few days, he exhibited multiple instances of erratic behavior.

During his visit to St. Augustine's Casa Monica Hotel, Azzarello had his dinner and stumbled upon a signature by ex-president Bill Clinton, that was left on the wall a few years ago. However, he allegedly threw a glass of wine at it, according to the police.

He confessed to the police about the incident, but they considered it an isolated case. However, a few days later, he came back to the hotel wearing only underwear and used a bullhorn to shout outside, as reported by the media outlet.

According to the Times, a couple of days later, he damaged property outside a United Way office and proceeded to unlawfully enter a stranger's vehicle.

Police said that although Azzarello was arrested numerous times in Florida, he did not have any prior criminal record in New York.

Larry Altman, who used to be Azzrello's landlord, shared with the Daily Beast that Azzrello used to be very sociable, but in recent years, he has become increasingly convinced that there is a secret plot against regular people.

According to Mr. Altman's statement to the Times, Azzarello holds political beliefs that are not widely accepted. Specifically, he refers to our government and the global government as a fraudulent investment scheme.

The incidents involving the police in the past few years and the growing belief in conspiracy theories created the backdrop for the events that took place in New York City on Friday.

It seems that someone saw him hanging around outside the criminal courthouse in Manhattan on both Thursday and Friday.

People who were familiar with Max Azzarello before did not think that the behavior he displayed outside the courthouse matched the Max they used to know.

In simpler terms, Carol Waldman, who is a friend of Steven and Azzarello's mother, described Azzarello as a kind-hearted and gentle person. According to her, he was a fantastic and young man who still had a long way to go in his life.

Based on the scrutiny of his online presence by the NYPD, it was discovered that Azzarello frequently shared theories of conspiracy and spoke out vehemently against those who held wealth and significant social status.

In his extensive article on Substack, he highlighted a series of individuals, social media corporations, and organizations. He additionally referred to the Covid-19 pandemic as a tool of economic ruin.

According to Azzarello's statement in the document, setting oneself on fire is categorized as a highly intense protest action.

"I am extremely sorry for causing you all this anguish," he said in a message addressed to his loved ones, witnesses, and emergency personnel who responded to the incident.

In other parts of the long blog post, Azzarello discussed the topic of Jeffrey Epstein who was a convicted child sex offender, digital currency, and some episodes of the popular TV show The Simpsons.

At a certain moment, he drew a parallel between himself and Lisa Simpson.

During a press conference, Joseph Kenny, the Chief of Detectives at NYPD, informed gathered reporters that the flyers distributed by Mr. Azzarello immediately before the incident in question appear to be centered around propaganda and lean towards a conspiracy theory angle.

Here's another version: Here's the deal: there's some talk about Ponzi schemes being rampant, as well as murmurs that certain schools in our area might be connected to organized crime. It's starting to sound a bit like a conspiracy theory.

According to the police, Azzarello did not violate any security regulations prior to the occurrence, since the park, known as Collect Pond Park, was accessible to the general public during that time.

Just before igniting himself, he threw a bunch of bright flyers up in the air.

A male individual known as Dave was present for a traumatic event that transpired shortly after the selection of the jury in the ex-president's criminal trial. Dave was evidently disturbed by what he witnessed.

"I heard the sound of papers falling on the ground and it grabbed my attention, or at least, I should say that it caught my attention. I was curious about those papers and wondered what they were," Dave shared with The Independent.

He mentioned that those nearby were "appalled" and began to shout. The event occurred rapidly, preventing anyone from intervening.

"It's terrible to witness that."

The Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) took Azzarello to a burn unit that's located at NewYork-Presbyterian Cornell Medical Center.

According to NYPD, the hospital staff pronounced him dead after he was in a critical state.

The fire department reported that six people who acted first in response to the situation got hurt, with at least three of them being members of the NYPD and one being a court officer. The injuries were not severe.