A man set himself on fire on Friday outside a New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial was underway, witnesses said.

A witness at the scene said he first heard the man throwing pamphlets into the air and then saw him watering himself with a can and lighting himself on fire. “At that point, I said, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to see?’” the witness told Reuters.

The witness, who asked not to be named, said the man was burned for several minutes.

CNN reporters said they saw a man engulfed in flames for more than three minutes. “I saw a completely burnt man,” one of them said on the radio.

The shocking development came shortly after jury selection was completed, clearing the way for prosecutors and defense attorneys to deliver opening statements next week in the case over hush-money payments to porn stars.

The courthouse in downtown Manhattan was heavily guarded by police on Monday, the first day of the trial, drawing a large crowd of protesters and onlookers, although the crowds have since thinned.

According to Reuters witnesses, shortly after the incident, the square was filled with the smell of smoke and a police officer sprayed a fire extinguisher on the ground.

Twelve jurors and six alternates will consider evidence in the first trial to determine whether the former US president is guilty of breaking the law.

The jury is made up of seven men and five women, mostly in white-collar professions: two corporate lawyers, a software engineer, a speech therapist and an English teacher. Most are not native New Yorkers, coming from across the United States and from countries like Ireland and Lebanon.

Trump is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment from his former lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep quiet about what she said was a sexual encounter a decade ago.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and has denied any such contact with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford Germany (Stephanie Clifford).

Trump has also pleaded not guilty in three other criminal cases, but this is the only one certain to go to trial before the Nov. 5 election, when the Republican politician aims to take on Democratic President Joe Biden again .

A conviction would not prevent him from serving.