Twitch streamer Kai Cenat’s Union Square giveaway creates chaos in New York
polygon.comThousands of people gathered in New York City’s Union Square on Friday afternoon, hoping to win a massive gaming giveaway from Twitch streamer Kai Cenat. The crowd quickly grew out of control and spilled out of Union Square Park and into the street, engulfing cars and taxi cabs. Cenat has been questioned by police, who are considering charges due to the chaos of the unsanctioned event.
Cenat and YouTuber Fanum intended to give away PlayStation 5s, gaming PCs, and various gaming accessories at the meetup that was announced earlier in the week by Cenat. The giveaway was expected to kick off at 4 p.m. ET. A tweet advertising the event has since been deleted. Cenat streamed live from the scene, first from a vehicle where he acknowledged the large crowd and NYPD presence and warned his fans to be safe.
The stream continued for mere minutes after Cenat exited the car, flanked by bodyguards, and was overwhelmed by the crowd. The streaming device appears to have been dropped on the ground before the stream ended. Video footage from a person at the event shows Cenat being lifted out of the crowd and escorted away by police.
They really lifted Kai Cenat like he was a toddler pic.twitter.com/UTfsRqyl7T
Video from the scene showed pandemonium as thousands of people congregated inside Union Square Park and out into the streets, oftentimes on top of buses and cars. “A lot of young people got hurt,” NYPD chief of department Jeffrey Maddrey said during a press conference Friday. Maddrey described young people coming out of the crowd bleeding and having panic attacks. Several officers were injured, too, he said.
“Expect a police presence in the area and residual traffic delays,” police tweeted just before 4 p.m. Live helicopter footage
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