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.”
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25 Comments
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dagon
A low-level grifter like this can cause chaos.
Imagine one that has a bigger megaphone and more zealous followers.
Could be a preview of 2024 in many other locations in the good ole US of A.
Late Stage Capitalistic society provides a fertile ground.
Yubaru
Unrelated or otherwise, you are a fool and naïve if you think that social media hasn't become a major influence in raising children today!
People complained that television was "raising children" back in the 70's and 80's, and now, it's social media and the only people you can blame are the one's you see in the mirror.
Yubaru
Mob mentality, I mean really now, just what did that parked car do to these people that they had to attack it with such force?
bass4funk
100% agreed
Blacklabel
Entitled leftist kids expecting “free stuff”.
Cards fan
ah yes, "entitled leftist kids." Lol what a dog water take.
lincolnman
What? These were just a bunch of peaceful "tourists" enjoying another day in NYC...
If there was any violence then it was do purely to far-right "instigators" who infiltrated into the group...
One I believe was named Roy Oops...a known far-right reactionary...
bass4funk
Bingo, more reason why NYC is a cesspool and irredeemable, and so the exodus out of the madness continues.
https://nypost.com/2023/04/12/nearly-30-percent-of-new-yorkers-plan-to-leave-in-next-five-years/
Blacklabel
So the violence wasn’t because they didn’t get the free stuff that was promised?
bet it was.
AlternativeOpinion
Everyone knows mob mentality makes people do stupid things, just look at the Jan 6 social gathering.
Cards fan
No. If bothered reading the article:
The unrest had unfolded before the giveaway had even started.
Also, it's a pretty big stretch to turn this into feelings of entitlement into then, "they must all be leftists, because all leftists are entitled." Get real.
Also, a lot of leftists I know don't like Kai Cenat because of the rape allegations.
EFD
Is "Influencer" what one does when one is too lazy or too entitled to get a real job providing value-added goods or services?
How very Gen Z.
EFD
I mean "Influencer" sounds almost as stupid a name for a made-up job as "Meme stock trader."
Cards fan
Not really. Seems to have struck a nerve there, though.
Blacklabel
Influencers get paid. As do stock traders, meme or otherwise.
you can easily see the Paul brothers and Mr Beast and the OGs of it all, the kardashians.
Cards fan
As do drug dealers. What's your point?
Rodney
Sad state of USA. People rioting over a possible free PlayStation.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Yeah, so sad they weren't afraid to go out on the street en masse without getting disappeared, amirte?
opheliajadefeldt
The picture of that thug kicking the car says all that needs to be said about American youth today, they are out of control and do pretty much what they like. And there are millions of them. Thank dog 99.9% of them never leave the USA. But has anyone noticed what I have about the overwhelming majority of them, I will not say it here because it is not nice.
EFD
Day (Meme stock) traders and “influencers”
2 “jobs” that add no value and require no tangible skills.
They also seem to give one a lot of time to post on-line…
Blacklabel
Yet they pay better than any “job” any poster here has ever had.
Cards fan
Drug dealers are well paid too. Again, what's your point?
It's also worth pointing out that most day traders and influencer don't make any money.
https://finmasters.com/day-trading-statistics/
Cards fan
Also, can we just appreciate the speed at which the rightists moved from criticizing entitled leftists who rioted to now praising the kinds of people who "organized" this stupid publicity stunt.
Legrande
Watched his "rented a girlfriend in Jpn" vid when it appeared on my feed...everything so scripted and phony...
EFD
"Shrewt bucks" isn't real money. Much like the actual work as a "meme stock trading specialist" isn't a real job.