The Manhattan Court was where former president Donald Trump was on trial. Outside the courthouse were video cameras set up, as well as a man passing out pamphlets. After passing out all of the pamphlets, he proceeded to set himself on fire while the cameras were livestreaming. The cameras were airing because reporters from CNN were commentating on the seating for the jury.

Laura Coates and other networkers had to work fast because the man was in clear view behind her. The camera was going back and forth between her and the park and she stated that she couldn’t ”overstate the emotional response of watching a human be engulfed in flames and to watch his body be lifted into a gurney.”

CNN wasn’t the only one who caught this tragic incident on camera. Eric Shawn from Fox news also caught it briefly before switching the cameras to the courtroom. He actually apologized later on.

MSNBC also caught the smoke on camera and Yasmin Vossoughian expressed, “I could see the outline of his body in the flames, which was so terrifying to see.” APnews got an extensive shot of the man drenching himself with accelerant and lighting himself on fire. It also showed police officers getting to the scene and trying to diminish the flames with a jacket. APnews previously had this scene uploaded on youtube but then, replaced it with something else.

The man was taken to the hospital where he later died. This scene was so tragic for reporters, staff, bypassers, and viewers to see. Because it was outside the trial it was likely political. But regardless of the man’s reasons, we should all support those who had to witness such a tragic situation.