The Twitch streamer Kai Cenat wanted to delight his fans at a meeting with prizes like a PlayStation 5 or a gaming PC, but the situation got out of control and ended with arrests and injuries.
What was the situation like? On Friday, August 4, 2023, Twitch streamer Kai Cenat and YouTuber Fanum held a fan meeting in Union Square Park in New York City. They intended to raffle off PS5 consoles, gaming PCs, and gaming accessories among their viewers.
Thousands of people followed the Twitch streamer’s call. The situation escalated shortly after the arrival of the 21-year-old.
Kai Cenat replaced Félix “xQc” Lengyel at the top of Twitch.
Injuries and arrests at the fan meeting
How did the situation get out of control? Hours before the raffle was supposed to start, fans gathered at Union Square Park.
Kai Cenat, who was streaming in the car on his way to the event, mentioned the crowd of viewers as well as the police presence. However, when he exited the vehicle surrounded by bodyguards, he was quickly overwhelmed by the crowd. The stream ends shortly after the camera apparently is dropped.
Video footage shows the chaotic scenes: people streaming onto the surrounding streets, climbing onto vehicles. Kai Cenat himself is seen carrying a child out of the crowd and assisting a fan with breathing problems (via Dexerto).
How did the event go? Live helicopter footage from the scene shows police arresting people and loading them into a bus. Reports indicate there were between 60 and 65 arrests, including 30 minors.
“Many young people were injured,” said Jeffrey Madden from the New York City Police Department at a press conference on the same day. He reported seeing people bleeding out of the crowd and suffering panic attacks. Additionally, several individuals were reportedly injured by fireworks and suffered broken bones. Several officers were also injured (via Polygon).
Fanum apparently left the scene in a black SUV, with several fans holding onto it. Footage from the American news channel CBS shows at least one person falling from the moving vehicle.
Kai Cenat himself was reportedly carried out of the crowd by his bodyguards and later taken by the police for questioning. He allegedly had no permit for the event. According to the NYPD, the Twitch streamer was charged with inciting a riot, unlawful assembly, and “some other charges.”
By 5:30 PM local time, the park was largely cleared.
With great influence comes great responsibility
AMP, the organization that both Kai Cenat and Fanum belong to, released a statement about the incident on Instagram. The event was intended to be a “positive experience” to thank fans for their support. Apparently, they underestimated the popularity of the content creators and the scale of the event:
We have held fan meetings and video shootings in the past, but we have never experienced anything like yesterday. We are aware that our audience and our influence are growing, and with that comes greater responsibility.
via Dexerto
No official statement from Kai Cenat is available. A post announcing the giveaway has since been deleted, and the VoD of the event is no longer available.
Kai Cenat only started streaming in February 2021 and became one of the platform’s biggest creators in 2022. In February of this year, he broke two records with a marathon stream, even catching the attention of rapper Drake:
21-year-old breaks 2 records on Twitch – Drake demands: “Give him $50 million”
