A young man set himself on fire on Friday afternoon near the Lower Manhattan courthouse where jurors were being chosen for the criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump.
The man doused himself with accelerant at around 1:35 p.m. in Collect Pond Park, across the street from the courthouse. Onlookers screamed and started to run, and soon, bright orange flames engulfed the man. It was unclear what motivated his action.
People rushed over to try to extinguish the fire, but the intensity of the heat could be felt several hundred feet away.
After a few minutes, dozens of police officers rushed over and tried to smother the flames. The man, who appeared to be alive, was loaded into an ambulance and rushed away.
An eyewitness, who declined to be identified, said that the man threw pamphlets into the air before he lit himself on fire. The man, who was wearing jeans and dark gray T-shirt, fell to the ground. He was in an area of the park that was cordoned off for supporters of Mr. Trump.
Some of the pamphlets referenced former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Al Gore and the lawyer David Boies, who represented Mr. Gore in the 2000 presidential election recount.
The man stood tall as he poured the accelerant on himself and then held a flame at chest level. As people nearest him fled, others cried out as they realized what he was about to do.
Screams and shouts — though not from him — filled the air as the flames consumed him and he slowly collapsed.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Wesley Parnell contributed reporting.
