Photo: ANGELA WEISS / AFP / Getty Images
AĀ man set himself on fireĀ outside of the New York City courthouse where the criminal trial of former PresidentĀ Donald TrumpĀ is underway.
Witnesses said that the man walked across the street to Collect Pond Park and threw flyers in the air just after 1:30 p.m. on Friday (April 19) afternoon. He then pulled something out of his backpack and lit himself on fire.
SeveralĀ bystanders rushed over to put out the flames using their coats and a fire extinguisher. Police officers threw fire blankets on the man, who had fallen to the ground near a police barricade.
After the fire was put out, the man was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital, where he is in critical condition.
According to theĀ New York Times, theĀ man was standing in an area of the park cordoned off for Trump supporters. The flyers he tossed in the air contained information about former PresidentĀ George W. Bush, former Vice PresidentĀ Al Gore,Ā andĀ David Boies, the lawyer who represented Gore in the 2000 presidential election recount.