As a CNN camera crew livestreamed the self-immolation of a man outside former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial on Friday afternoon, anchor Laura Coates frantically spun around and watched the gruesome scene unfold in real time. I reacted.
“There’s a man who self-immolated. The cameras are rolling right now. A man self-immolated outside the courthouse,” she said, pressing her finger into the earpiece as the camera focused on the man. Ta. She was seen engulfed in flames less than 50 feet away.
The incident occurred shortly after the full jury was selected in Trump’s historic hush money trial.
Coates did her best to explain her reaction to the shocking display, rattling off an observational stream-of-consciousness style.
“There’s chaos. People are wondering if people are in danger right now. I’m looking across the courtyard now and I see a man rushing to help and there’s a fire. We have members of our security detail, the NYPD has rushed to the scene, and we have fire extinguishers on site right now,” Coates said as the scene unfolded. .
“We can smell the air and I can smell some sort of burning flesh, some sort of substance to put out the fire. I’m on the ground surrounded by police officers. I see someone who looks like this. The fire is still burning.”
