Posted on August 4, 2023

‘Full-on Riot’ Breaks Out During Twitch Influencer Kai Cenat’s PS5 Giveaway in NYC’s Union Square

Joe Marino et al., New York Post, August 4, 2023

A social media influencer’s giveaway in Union Square Park Friday quickly descended into chaos, with the young attendees throwing bottles, jumping on vehicles and screaming ‘F–k the PD” — as NYPD cops were assaulted and some eventgoers were nearly trampled.

Twitch gamer Kai Cenat, who has over 20 million followers on the gaming platform, scheduled the real-world meet-up at 3:30 p.m. and planned to give away PlayStation 5s, computers, microphones and other gaming accessories.

But within a half-hour, the crowd of nearly 1,000 kids broke down into chaos with the attendees tossing cones and brawling.

Aerial footage showed the massive crowd flooding the streets, with some teens using barricades to stop the cops. They also tossed bottles, eggs and construction cones while screaming: “F–k the PD” and “suck my d–k.”

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The NYPD’s riot squad was called to the park as the mayhem spread down Lafayette and Bleeker streets.

Police sources described it as a “full-on riot.”