People gather for a “giveaway” event announced by popular Twitch live streamer Kai Cenat in Union Square and the surrounding area on August 4, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
People gather for a “giveaway” event announced by popular Twitch live streamer Kai Cenat in Union Square and the surrounding area on August 4, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)OAN’s Abril Elfi
5:14 PM – Friday, August 4, 2023
The Twitch streamer responsible for the chaos in New York City’s Union Square Park amid a PlayStation giveaway, has been taken into custody.
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As the gathering began to thin out and many of the young people left the park, a spokeswoman verified that the influencer and numerous other people were in custody.
🚨#BREAKING: Twitch streamer Influencer Giveaway Sparks a massive Riot in Union Square park
📌#Manhattan | #NewYork
Right now, a huge riot is currently happening at Union Square Park in Manhattan, New York. Hundreds of young teens and adults have gathered after a Twitch live… pic.twitter.com/6WynfWFlDB
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) August 4, 2023
On Friday, Kai Cenat, a streamer from the video-streaming platform Twitch, which gamers use to broadcast, stated he would be doing a giveaway at Union Square Park. He claimed that him and his team would be giving away computers, PlayStation 5’s, microphones, keyboards, webcams, gaming chairs, headphones and gift cards from a truck at 4:00 p.m. EST. Viewers could win prizes by answering “random questions” about YouTube and streaming.
“If you do it correctly, you will instantly receive a PS5,” he said.
The influencer has over 4 million followers on YouTube, over 5 million on Instagram, and 6.5 million on Twitch.
According to NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, who spoke at a news conference on Friday, thousands of people started congregating at the park around 3:00 p.m.
Cenat, who went live on Twitch during the chaos, described the disorderly crowd as “It’s everybody for themselves. There is a war going on.” It appeared to have seemed that the streamer posted from inside the giveaway truck.
New York City is completely out of control. Kai Cenat, a popular Twitch streamer, held a giveaway that turned into a massive riot in Union Square. Police were outnumbered, and the mayor remains silent. pic.twitter.com/U4rp9nnSBr
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 4, 2023
“Soon the park and the surrounding streets were overrun with people, obstructing vehicular and pedestrian traffic,” Maddrey said. “Individuals in the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and the public.”
Police officers eventually managed to remove the streamer from the crowd, and he was afterwards heard speaking to various officers.
Reportedly, an estimated 1,000 cops were requested by the department to deal with the chaotic situation, making this event the highest mobilization made by NYPD yet.
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