Gothamist reports:
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. The warning issued by the city on Friday afternoon also told New Yorkers to expect traffic delays and a police presence in the park. 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.
Several loud explosions were heard around 5 p.m. and people were asked to move out of the park. Several hundred officers were deployed to push a crowd of thousands out and away from the area. 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.
The New York Daily News reports:
Thousands of people hoping to catch a glimpse of Twitch streamer and internet gaming celebrity Kai Cenat — and supposedly, have a chance at a free PlayStation console — flooded Union Square Friday afternoon. Cenat scheduled the meetup and giveaway for 4 p.m., a now-deleted tweet said. The crowd began gathering around 1:30 p.m., and devolved into chaos by 3:30 p.m., with people throwing plastic bottles and climbing structures in the park, video from the scene showed.
A rare level four mobilization was called by the NYPD, sending all available cops to the scene. “Some YouTuber is having a giveaway, and he’s doing it in the messiest way possible,” a teen in the crowd explained before he ran off with his friends. TV news footage at around 4:25 p.m. showed a car believed to be carrying Cenat leaving the scene. Several people were riding on top of the SUV as it drove from the area, and at least one person fell off.
Police in New York City struggled to control a crowd of thousands of people who gathered in Manhattan’s Union Square for an internet personality’s supposed video game console giveaway that got out of hand. pic.twitter.com/T0OVK2TKTy
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 4, 2023
Large crowd overtakes Union Square in New York City after Twitch streamer Kai Cenat posted on the livestreaming service promising free PlayStation gaming consoles. https://t.co/3dcXL9P84c pic.twitter.com/HD3J6A1yZU
— ABC News (@ABC) August 4, 2023
Police in New York City struggled to control a crowd of thousands of people who gathered Friday in Manhattan’s Union Square for an internet personality’s supposed video game console giveaway that got out of hand. https://t.co/Fu4ZclHjyC
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 4, 2023
#Breaking: Officials are giving an update after chaos broke out in Union Square during a giveaway by Kai Cenat on Friday. Watch live now. https://t.co/MwCiOOeP5E
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) August 4, 2023