A man in the throes of a mental crisis doused himself with gasoline in the shadow of the World Trade Center on Tuesday afternoon — an apparent attempt at self-immolation, according to law enforcement sources and officials.

He coated himself with the accelerant a short distance from the sensitive Lower Manhattan site around 4:45 p.m., authorities and sources said.

Police took the man into custody.

The NYPD’s Bomb Squad briefly investigated the area before finding a suspicious package nearby that was under investigation Tuesday evening.

It was unclear whether the man and the package were related.