Popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat has been taken into police custody after what was initially billed as a "giveaway" event in New York City today rapidly spiraled out of control.
According to NBC New York, Cenat had been promoting a "HUGE GIVEAWAY" on his channels for 4pm ET in Union Square Park, with promises of free PlayStation 5s and other gaming items. People began to populate in the area over an hour before the giveaway was set to begin, and numerous videos of the event show massive crowds and unruly behavior such as climbing on buildings and moving vehicles, throwing objects, and densely packed crowds.
Both the NYPD official Twitter account and the New York City public transit Twitter account warned the public to avoid the area.
Due to police activity, avoid the area surrounding Union Square Park & use alternate routes. Expect a police presence in the area and residual traffic delays. pic.twitter.com/YNicYTL793
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 4, 2023
Cenat posted a brief video from the event where he and his crew spoke from inside a vehicle before exiting into the crowd, where they were quickly surrounded by people. Other videos posted to social media show the massive crowds, people swarming Cenat's vehicle, and Cenat being taken into police custody.
NBC reports that an estimated one thousand police officers were called in to respond to the situation, and states that Cenat and "numerous" others were arrested. No significant injuries have been reported thus far. Videos posted to social media revealed the chaos.
BREAKING: Gaming streamer Kai Cenat announces giveaway at Union Square Park in NYC, sparking large riot; all available units requested pic.twitter.com/oQXiyZfVRY
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) August 4, 2023
It is currently unclear whether or not Cenat actually intended to hold a giveaway at all, or why the crowd that congregated became so large and unruly. Cenat boasts 6.5 million Twitch followers, 4 million on YouTube, and 5.5 million on Instagram. He has previously won multiple awards for his streaming, which is largely comedy content and has previously included prank videos and occasional games such as GTA Online.
IGN has reached out to the New York Police Department for more details.
Blogroll photo credit: Robin Marshall / Getty Images
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter at IGN.
