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A man lit himself on fire outside the courthouse where Donald Trump's criminal trial is taking place on Friday.

Maxwell Azzarello, 37, doused himself with an alcohol-based cleaning substance and lit himself on fire outside the lower Manhattan courthouse, where jury selection had concluded in Trump's hush money payment trial only minutes before.

Azzarello was standing inside the designated protest area for Trump supporters outside of the downtown courthouse, New York police said during a press conference.

He doused himself with a liquid at around 1:30 pm in Collect Pond Park, across the street from the courthouse.

Moments later, Azzarello set himself on fire as bright orange flames engulfed him and the surrounding area.

Terrified witnesses screamed and evacuated the area as law enforcement officers struggled to access the fire due to the barricades, according to The New York Times.

"The male, he takes a couple of steps while he's on fire and then eventually falls onto a police barrier and falls down to the ground," NYPD chief of department Jeffrey Maddrey said.

"He's on fire, another area of the park where the accelerant spilt is also on fire.

"Civilians, court officers, members of the police department, they run into the park. They make efforts to put him out, they use their coats, they use fire extinguishers.

"Eventually, FDNY responds, and we're able to extinguish the fire."

Azzarello was transported to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition.

A motive for the self-immolation has yet to be determined.

A court officer was also taken to the hospital after suffering smoke inhalation.

CNN journalists reporting live outside the courthouse reported smelling "burning human flesh" as the horrific incident unfolded.

"I see a totally charred human being." - Laura Coates (CNN Reporter On The Scene)