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Police descend on Union Square as enormous crowd forms for influencer event
By
Charles Lane
and
Kerry Shaw
Published Aug 4, 2023
Modified Aug 4, 2023
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Charles Lane
By
Charles Lane
and
Kerry Shaw
Published Aug 4, 2023
Modified Aug 4, 2023
Share
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New Yorkers were urged to stay away from Union Square on Friday evening after thousands of people flooded the area to see influencer Kai Cenat, as part of a giveaway for video game devices.
Several hundred officers were deployed to push a crowd of thousands out and away from the area.
Robert Mac, who'd been at the park for the giveaway, said he saw “a lot of throwing bottles,” and said he did not know why people were doing that.
Four loud explosions were heard around 5 p.m. Police later confirmed they were firecrackers.
At a press conference Friday evening, Chief Jeffrey Maddrey of the NYPD said that Cenat was in police custody and that crowds had been mostly dispersed and contained. He said that Cenat could possibly be charged with inciting a riot.
"I watched young people walking out bleeding from their heads," he said, adding that some people were "having panic attacks, anxiety attacks, asthma attacks."
The NYPD did not provide details about arrests. About a dozen people were seen in handcuffs and loaded on to an MTA bus.
Subway trains were temporarily bypassing Union Square Friday afternoon, but had resumed by early afternoon according to the MTA. Entrances to the park were shut down.
Cenat is popular on YouTube and Twitch, where he has over six million followers. In a video shared earlier this week on Twitch, he could be seen encouraging his followers to meet him at Union Square, and he displayed dozens of gift cards that he planned to hand out.
"We're giving away PCs, we're giving away...PS5s, a whole lot of that sh**," Cenat can be seen saying. "We will be giving away motherf***ing microphones for the PC, keyboards for the PC, webcams for the PC, gaming chairs for the PC, headphones for the PC, plus some gift cards."
"That sh** might end real quick depending on how rowdy it gets."
Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky contributed reporting.
Tagged
public safety
union square
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Kerry Shaw
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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