A social media influencer was in custody after a giveaway in a New York City park erupted in chaos on Friday, authorities said.
New York City Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said the video game live-streamer, Kai Cenat, had been removed from the area for his safety after thousands of mostly young people descended on Manhattan’s Union Square on Friday afternoon.
Cenat has not been charged with a crime. Maddrey said that police officials were reviewing possible charges, including inciting a riot, with the department’s legal team.
Maddrey said authorities filled a city bus filled with arrestees. He did not know how many people were in custody.
They were arrested after people started committing acts of violence toward police and the public, including throwing bottles, rocks and paint cans that had been taken from a construction site at the park, Maddrey said.
It wasn’t clear how many officers were injured.
“Officers were attacked, we were crushed,” he said, adding that he had been hit with “multiple objects.”
“I personally observed young people having panic attacks, anxiety attacks,” he said. “People were suffering out here.”
On Wednesday, Cenat announced on his Twitch channel that he would host a “huge” give away with video game consoles, PCs, keyboards, gaming chairs, headphones and other items.
As of Friday afternoon, the video had more than 2 million views.
The event was supposed to begin at 4 p.m., but by 3 p.m. the park was filled, NBC New York reported.
Aerial video showed hundreds of people gathered in the Manhattan park on Friday afternoon. The video appeared to capture a skirmish in the crowd and people could be seen standing on cars.
Plain clothes and uniformed officers could be seen surrounding the crowd and a loud bang could be heard at one point.
By 5:30 p.m., the area had begun emptying out and police officers were blocking every entrance. Clusters of teens were laughing, joking and said they didn’t fear for their safety.
One 16-year-old, who identified himself as Rodrigo, said he was a fan of Cenat and came hoping to win money or perhaps a console.
“And then a big storm of people started running and there were cops everywhere,” he said.
Two other teens said they came for the “vibes” and to see Cenat — who one described as the “best person in the world” — but saw pushing, crowding, people throwing things and a child “almost passed out.”
Cenat has been a content creator for years, but is best known for streaming gameplay, pranks and comedic reactions on Twitch.
He broke the record for most active subscribers on Twitch in March after completing a 30-day uninterrupted livestream, also known as a subathon.
Cenat is known for his outrageous antics, which have gotten him in some trouble on the platform. He has been temporarily banned from Twitch five times.
Suzanne Ciechalski, Jonathan Dienst and Daysia Tolentino contributed.
