(NewsNation) — A man who set himself on fire Friday outside of the New York City courthouse where a criminal trial was being held for former President Donald Trump was “calm” before the act, a witness said.
Maxwell Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, was identified as the man by authorities. Azzarello remains in critical condition at the hospital. His motive for lighting himself on fire is unclear at this time.
“He seemed very calm and quiet,” Fred Gates, one person who saw the fire, said. “He didn’t say anything.”
As Azzarello doused himself with gas, though, it started to become apparent to bystanders that this was a dangerous situation, and they started “running from him,” Gates said.
“At first, I thought it was fake,” Gates said. “I thought he was doing some kind of protest where he was going to pretend to douse himself with gasoline.”
At the same time, though, “I was yelling to police that this guy might do something here,” Gates added.
Gates recalls that before lighting himself on fire, the man threw a bunch of flyers in the air.
“When he was on fire, I was in disbelief,” Gates said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.