Screenshots, X (@ClownWorld_, @FastNewsBreak), Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

After a man set himself ablaze outside former President Trump’s ongoing “hush money” trial in New York, newfound attention has been paid to the individual’s prolific but heretofore unknown social media presence, as social media attempts to make sense of his somewhat incoherent and paranoid political views.

In a disturbing incident outside the New York City courthouse, where former President Donald Trump is currently on trial, a man named Maxwell Azzarello set himself on fire.

In the aftermath of this shocking event, as the self-immolator is reportedly hospitalized in critical condition, Azzarello’s social media accounts have received newfound attention, suggesting both complex political affiliations and a deeply disturbed mind.

In one post, Azzarello repeats the phrase “start a f*cking revolution” to the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” concluding by saying “you’ve got nothing to lose,” his intense stare and off-key tone suggesting a perhaps less-than-ideal mental constitution.

Azzarello was also identified as the author of The Ponzi Papers on Substack, a blog in which he claims to have discovered the smoking gun behind a Peter Theil-backed fascist takeover, of which both Trump and Biden are purportedly on the same side. He detailed the motivation behind his actions in a post simply titled “I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial.”

“My name is Max Azzarello, and I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan. This extreme act of protest is to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery: We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup,” Azzarello wrote.

The event occurred in a park directly across the street from the courthouse. Azzarello, critically injured, was quickly taken to a hospital in critical condition. At the time of the incident, Trump was present inside the courthouse and was informed about the situation outside.

“He doused himself and threw these pamphlets across the park… and immediately just lit himself on fire,” a witness described the harrowing moment to ABC News.

The witness also noted the immediate and intense nature of the flames: “The flames were just massive immediately.” This witness also expressed the shock of witnessing such a horrific scene: “Pretty horrific thing to see.”

Jeffrey Maddrey, NYPD’s chief of department, provided details at a news conference about Azzarello’s actions leading up to the self-immolation. Azzarello had taken pamphlets from his backpack, scattered them around the park, then doused himself with a liquid from a canister and ignited the fire. Maddrey highlighted the rapid response from bystanders and law enforcement, adding that Maddrey fell to the ground eventually while police and civilians attempte to stifle the flames.

Officials noted that the pamphlets appeared to contain “propaganda-based” content and described Azzarello as a “conspiracy theorist.”

Originally from St. Augustine, Florida, Azzarello had arrived in New York earlier that week and is believed to have acted alone. Given the gravity of the situation and the ongoing high-profile trial, Maddrey expressed concern and indicated a review of security protocols.

“We’re very concerned,” Maddrey said, per ABC. He added that due to “the gravity of the event going on,” referring to the Trump trial, security measures would be reevaluated.