Current:Home > ContactSocial media influencer Kai Cenat faces charges of inciting riot after thousands cause mayhem in NYC -WealthMap Solutions
Social media influencer Kai Cenat faces charges of inciting riot after thousands cause mayhem in NYC
View
Date:2025-04-16 10:20:09
NEW YORK (AP) — Social media influencer Kai Cenat is facing charges of inciting a riot and promoting an unlawful gathering in New York City, after the online streamer drew thousands of his followers, many of them teenagers, with promises of giving away electronics, including a new PlayStation. The event produced chaos, with dozens of people arrested — some jumping atop vehicles, hurling bottles and throwing punches.
Cenat was released early Saturday from police custody after being issued a desk appearance ticket, which is issued by police to require a suspect to appear in court to answer charges. A police spokesperson said he is to appear in court on Aug. 18.
The mayhem in New York City’s Union Square Friday afternoon put further focus on the hold social media influencers have on the people who follow and fawn over them.
“Our children cannot be raised by social media,” Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday during a press briefing on an unrelated crime.
Police said they arrested 65 people, including 30 juveniles. Several people were injured, including some with bloodied faces. At least four people were taken away in ambulances.
“I don’t think people realize the level of discipline that we showed to take a very dangerous, volatile situation and to be able to bring it to a level of resolve without any loss of life or any substantial damage to property and without young people harming themselves,” Adams said.
Cenat, 21, is a video creator with 6.5 million followers on the platform Twitch, where he regularly livestreams. He also boasts 4 million subscribers on YouTube, where he posts daily life and comedy vlogs ranging from “Fake Hibachi Chef Prank!” to his most recent video, “I Rented Us Girlfriends In Japan!”
His 299 YouTube videos have amassed more than 276 million views among them. In December, he was crowned streamer of the year at the 12th annual Streamy Awards. Messages sent to his publicist, management company and an email address for business inquiries were not immediately returned.
Livestreaming on Twitch from a vehicle as the event gathered steam, Cenat displayed gift cards he planned to give away. Noting the crowd and police presence, he urged, “Everybody who’s out there, make sure y’all safe. ... We’re not gonna do nothin’ until it’s safe.”
Eventually he and an entourage got out of the vehicle and hustled through a crowd, crossed a street and went into the park, where Cenat was surrounded by a cheering, shoving mob.
Chief Jeffrey Maddrey of the New York Police Department said Cenat at some point in the afternoon was removed “for his safety” and police were in contact with him. Videos posted on social media and taken from news helicopters showed Cenat being lifted over a fence and out of the crowd and then placed in a police vehicle.
Aerial TV news footage showed a surging, tightly packed crowd running through the streets, scaling structures in the park and snarling traffic. Shouting teenagers swung objects at car windows, threw paint cans and set off fire extinguishers. Some people climbed on a moving vehicle, falling off as it sped away. Others pounded on or climbed atop city buses.
Skylark Jones, 19, likened the scene to “a movie,” as police arrived with riot gear and began, he said, “charging at people.”
Jones arrived with a friend hoping to get a chance at getting one of the giveaways. When they arrived the scene was already packed and things became unruly even before Cenat appeared, he said.
Maddrey said three officers were hurt.
“We have encountered things like this before but never to this level of dangerousness,” Maddrey said.
“Listen, we’re not against young people having a good time, we’re not against young people gathering,” Maddrey said. “But it can’t be to this level where it’s dangerous. A lot of people got hurt today.”
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Video shows massive gator leisurely crossing the road at South Carolina park, drawing onlookers
- Video shows massive gator leisurely crossing the road at South Carolina park, drawing onlookers
- Why 'Star Trek: Discovery' deserves more credit as a barrier-breaking series
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- New York can take legal action against county’s ban on female transgender athletes, judge says
- What Sean Diddy Combs Is Up to in Miami After Home Raids
- Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have been in each other’s orbit for years. The Final Four beckons
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Can Caitlin Clark’s surge be sustained for women's hoops? 'This is our Magic-Bird moment'
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Conan O'Brien to return to 'Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon for first time after firing
- Expand or stand pat? NCAA faces dilemma about increasing tournament field as ratings soar
- NFL power rankings: Bills, Cowboys among teams taking big hits this offseason
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- In Alabama Visit, Buttigieg Strays Off The Beaten Path. Will It Help Shiloh, a Flooded Black Community?
- Shirley Jones' son Shaun Cassidy pays sweet tribute to actress on 90th birthday: 'A lover of life'
- 2 million Black & Decker clothing steamers are under recall after dozens of burn injuries
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
Seton Hall defeats Indiana State in thrilling final to win NIT
Avoid these common tax scams as the April 15 filing deadline nears
Florida’s stricter ban on abortions could put more pressure on clinics elsewhere
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
US jobs report for March is likely to point to slower but still-solid hiring
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Holds Hands With Ex-Fiancé Ken Urker After Ryan Anderson Breakup
Wisconsin man ordered to stand trial on neglect charge in February disappearance of boy, 3