The man who set himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump’s secret trial is taking place told friends of his intention to be a ‘martyr’ just days before committing his fatal act of protest.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, his friend and neighbor Bob Warren, 62, who lived next door to Max Azzarello, 37, in St Augustine, Florida, revealed: “It was just a few days before he left for New York, we were sitting there.” basically he was drinking beers and playing guitar, and we were talking.
“He had extreme views, extreme ideology and he just said, ‘I think I’m going to have to be a martyr.’ “
Tragically, Warren admitted that no one who was present to hear Azzarello’s threat took it seriously, but simply mocked it as the ramblings of a man they knew to be “generally calm and a great guy,” but who had in recent months become increasingly obsessed with conspiracy theories.
Neighbor Bob Warren, 62, revealed Azzarello told friends of his intention to be a “martyr” just days before carrying out his fatal act of protest.
Max Azzarello, 37, seen Friday outside Donald Trump’s criminal trial with a sign, moments before setting himself on fire. He died a few hours later
Azzarello set himself on fire in an act of protest, as shocked friends said he had immersed himself in conspiracy theories before his suicide
Warren said: “He just moved into the flat next door about three weeks ago, but he had been coming here to hang out for about six or seven months before that.
‘He was a good guy. We used to chat. I am a Trump supporter. He thought everyone was involved in a conspiracy and that we should just stay away from certain topics. We got along well.
According to Warren, Azzarello viewed the move as a positive change because, although his father, Richard, 71, lives locally, he was living in a halfway house.
Warren described himself as “completely shocked” to learn that his friend had followed through on his threat.
He said: “I keep thinking he probably changed his mind four or five seconds after he turned on.”
Azzarello pulled a bunch of brochures from his backpack and tossed them into the air before dousing himself with fuel and accelerator at 1:39 p.m. Friday afternoon.
He died from his injuries shortly before 11 p.m. that night.
Today, his white Toyota 4Runner truck sits where he left it, in front of his apartment building. “Trump is with Hillary, and they are about to pull a fascist coup on us,” is written in permanent marker on the back.
Listed under the license is the address of the website where he communicated his intention to self-deprecate and his belief that cryptocurrency is a vast Ponzi scheme perpetrated against the American people.
Warren said he was “completely shocked” by his neighbor’s actions, adding: “I keep thinking he probably changed his mind four or five seconds after he lit up.”
The neighbor said: “It was just a few days before he went to New York, and we were sitting there, drinking beers and he was playing his guitar, and we were talking.”
After his death, Azzarello’s white Toyota 4Runner truck sits where he left it in front of his apartment building. “Trump is with Hillary, and they are about to pull a fascist coup on us,” is written in permanent marker on the back.
Azzarello has written a multitude of conspiracy theories on his vehicle, including his belief that cryptocurrency is a vast Ponzi scheme perpetrated against the American people under license.
According to a neighbor, the sign placed under the rear windshield and bearing the words “It’s a revolution” was added recently.
In the hours following the horrific incident, friends and former classmates have come forward to paint a portrait of a highly intelligent but increasingly troubled young man for whom, it seems, the The death of his mother, Libby, two years ago could have been the catalyst. for its catastrophic unraveling.
Yesterday, DailyMail.com revealed that Azzarello had just completed 180 days of probation for a series of incidents involving disorderly conduct and destruction of property that saw him scare the public with his erratic and “disjointed” behavior .
Three criminal complaints obtained by this publication show that all incidents occurred in August of last year.
In one case, Azzarello, who is listed in charging documents as unemployed, threw a glass of wine at a framed, autographed photograph of President Bill Clinton displayed in the lobby of the Casa Monica Hotel in his hometown of St. Augustine , in Florida.
The complaint notes that the incident took place on the evening of August 19, 2023 and that Azzarello had just finished his dinner at the hotel restaurant when he threw the glass at the image, shattering the glass in the photo framed and damaging it with wine.
Just two days later, on August 21, Azzarello was back at the Case Monica Hotel where he was allegedly “standing outside, undressing and yelling at customers.”
When police arrived, they found that he was “wearing nothing but his underwear, standing on the sidewalk, punching (sic) a speaker that was playing music and shouting” .
The hotel manager told officers that several guests were “afraid for their safety” and could not enter or leave for fear of Azzarello.
Azzarello said he set himself on fire as an act of protest against the U.S. government, which he accused of orchestrating a “fascist coup.”
Azzarello with Bill Clinton in one of his Facebook photos
The protester had a criminal history including a series of incidents involving disorderly conduct and destruction of property which saw him frighten members of the public with his erratic and “disjointed” behavior.
On August 24, he was arrested again for graffitiing property and going through a woman’s belongings in the bed of her truck.
According to the police report, he had been seen shouting in someone’s yard after “misinterpreting” an exterminator sign warning people to keep their children and pets off a lawn that had just been treated and after being convinced that the pest control company was “there to exterminate children”. and dogs.
To better understand his troubled state of mind, Azzarello posted an update on his Facebook page earlier the same month in which he told his followers that he had just spent three days in a psychiatric ward.
He claimed four cops showed up at his apartment after he gave $200 to a Starbucks barista and wrote “Fuck you” on the receipt.
He wrote: “I was handcuffed, shoved and placed in a psychiatric ward. I was not given any information about why I was there until I was released.
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