Maxwell Azzarello, a former employee of Rep. Tom Suozzi, died after setting himself on fire near the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse as former President Trump’s hush money trial was taking place. Azzarello briefly worked as an Operations Director for Friends of Tom Suozzi in 2013, where he assisted with campaign logistics and social media content. The 37-year-old Florida resident tragically passed away due to severe burns after self-immolating in Collect Pond Park. His actions included throwing pamphlets in the air, pouring a flammable liquid on his body, and setting himself on fire. The pamphlets contained a link to his Substack page and discussed conspiracy theories.
The online records indicate that Azzarello had worked for Suozzi when the congressman was running for Nassau County Executive in 2013. During his time as part of the field staff, Azzarello was responsible for preparing the candidate for debates, organizing commercial shoots, planning campaign rallies, and completing interest group questionnaires. Additionally, he worked on developing social media content, drafting press releases, and updating Suozzi’s events calendar. Suozzi, who represented parts of Nassau County and Queens, expressed his condolences for Azzarello’s family and described him as kind, smart, and hardworking.
The tragic incident occurred at around 1:30 p.m. when Azzarello set himself on fire in front of the courthouse. A New York City Police Department (NYPD) spokesman confirmed that Azzarello was pronounced dead around 10:30 p.m. that same night after suffering from severe burns. The decedent’s LinkedIn profile also indicated that he had briefly worked for Suozzi’s campaign in the past. Suozzi mentioned that he had not seen or spoken to Azzarello since then but remembered him as a dedicated worker. Despite reaching out to Suozzi’s office for a statement, Fox News Digital did not receive a response.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, who had previously served as a congressman from 2017 to 2023 before returning to office in early February, expressed his sorrow over Azzarello’s passing and offered prayers for his family. Azzarello’s association with Suozzi’s campaign years ago raised questions about his motivations for self-immolating near the courthouse holding Trump’s hush money trial. The protester’s actions, which included distributing pamphlets containing conspiracy theories, shocked onlookers and resulted in his tragic death. Details surrounding Azzarello’s mental state and intentions at the time of the incident remain unclear.
