Emergency crews rushed to a person on a stretcher after a fire was extinguished outside the courthouse where the jury was being selected for former President Donald Trump. the trial is taking place. Witnesses say they saw a man pour liquid on his head and it caught fire.
The New York City Fire Department said it responded to reports of a person on fire and transported a patient in critical condition to New York Presbyterian-Cornell.
Several people, including a guest interviewed by CNN, witnessed the incident at Collect Pond Park.
A witness described pamphlets the person threw, apparently while making allegations about New York University.
“I heard a noise, and it was those papers that I had thrown in the air,” said the witness.
“That got our attention and … it got my attention, anyway … then he took out a can and poured it all over himself. And at that point, I thought, 'Oh. .. this is going to be awful.'”
“It happened so fast, what do you do,” said another witness.
It was not clear if the event was related to the former president's trial, where jury selection is being finalized.
Reuters/Brendan McDermid
This is a developing story and will be updated.
