Who is Max Azzarello? The man who set himself on fire in New York, explained

Just moments after the jury for Donald Trump‘s ongoing, highly-publicized criminal trial in New York City was finalized, a man named Maxwell Azzarello—a Florida resident in his 30s—lit himself on fire just outside the courthouse after throwing a variety of flyers into the air, according to multiple on-site reports.

He remains in critical condition at the time of writing, but what caused Azzarello to commit such an act?

Why did Max Azzarello set himself on fire during Donald Trump’s trial?

Per The Washington Post, an eyewitness reported that the man had been carrying a sign alleging that Trump and current POTUS Joe Biden were working together behind the scenes to initiate a “fascist coup” of some sort, as well as collaboration on a Ponzi scheme. A second sign advertising a Substack, @theponzipapers, was also in his possession. This, in addition to the aforementioned flyers, which contained such claims as NYU being a corrupt front for the mob, and warnings against Ponzi schemes.

The Substack belonged to an author named M. Crosby, and contained a nine-page manifesto written by Azzarello detailing his reasoning for the act of self-mutilation; specifically, to call attention to his belief that we’re on the precipice of what he calls a “totalitarian con,” naming cryptocurrency, Harvard University, and COVID-19 among the complicit factors in his allegations. He furthermore claims the con has been going on since 1988, and has been carried out in preparation for the fall of the United States under the weight of capitalism. The piece can be read in full here.