Max Azzarello, who self-immolated outside Trump's trial venue was ‘suicidal’

Max Azzarello had several run-ins with the law before he decided to kill himself in New York City, near Trump's trial venue.

Police records reveal that Max Azzarello, who set himself on fire outside Donald Trump’s hush money trial, had a series of run-ins with the law in Florida last year. He later succumbed to his injuries. Among his actions, he was arrested for throwing wine at a framed autograph of Bill Clinton.

Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, who police identified as the man who set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place, holds a sign a day earlier outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse in New York City, New York, U.S., April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs(REUTERS)

Who was Max Azzarello?

Earlie Azzarello faced misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and disturbing the peace, according to records obtained by The Post. In one of his mug shots, he is seen sticking out his tongue and closing one eye.

The 37-year-old's legal issues in Florida began on August 19, 2023, when he allegedly threw a glass of wine at Bill Clinton’s autograph displayed in the lobby of the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. The wine damaged the autograph and the surrounding area, the report stated.

Two days later, Azzarello was arrested again for stripping down to his boxers and shouting at hotel customers. He was also seen getting into a fountain and cursing at customers before being taken into custody on August 21.

On August 24, surveillance video captured him writing on a sign outside the Little Free Library and breaking a pest control sign next door. Azzarello misinterpreted the sign, believing the pest control company was there to harm children and dogs, according to the police report.

'Azzarello was suicidal and unemployed'

Following his final arrest, police paperwork indicated Azzarello was suicidal and unemployed. He remained in St. Johns County jail until October 3, when he was sentenced to 180 days of probation.

Before these incidents, Azzarello claimed in an August 9, 2023 Facebook post that he spent three days in a psych ward. He also described himself online as an “investigative researcher,” but his extensive online postings suggest he was more of a conspiracy theorist.

Azzarello traveled to New York last week without his family's knowledge, according to the NYPD. Just before his self-immolation, he threw papers into the air, including printouts from a Substack newsletter titled “The Ponzi Papers.” His last entry was an article declaring his self-immolation as an act of protest against a supposed impending fascist world coup.