Viewer alert: the video above shows disturbing scenes.
A person has set themselves on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial is underway.
CNN’s The live trial broadcast was interrupted as Laura Coates reported that someone had set themselves on fire, causing the emergency services to rush to extinguish the fire. Initially mistakenly mentioning an “active shooter,” Coates quickly corrected herself to announce “a person has set fire to themselves, outside the courthouse just now.” Coates described the person as “fully engulfed” in flames and experiencing multiple fires, leading to a scene of “disarray.”
“There is a person rushing to provide assistance! Clothes are being removed in an attempt to put out the fire, security details and the NYPD are rushing to the scene,” Coates stated. She also indicated that individuals were “climbing over the barricades” put up outside the courthouse to help the person, while mentioning the smell of “burning flesh” and “some type of accelerant,” as well as the use of a fire extinguisher to attempt to extinguish the flames.
Coates reported that it took several attempts to extinguish the flames and the person remained engulfed “in flames for over a minute.” Security measures due to the presence of a former president inside the courtroom made it challenging to get an ambulance to the scene, but one ultimately arrived and the person was placed on a stretcher.
from CNN detailed how the incident unfolded:
Additional reporting The person does appear to still be alive, according to the latest reports. Police have confirmed that they set themselves on fire.
The man walked into the park across the street from the courthouse, throwing flyers into the air, a senior law enforcement official told CNN. He then pulled something out of a backpack — it was not immediately what the item was — and lit himself on fire, the official said.
This is a developing story and has been updated with additional details.
Watch the clip above via
A person has set themselves on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial is underway. CNN.
