Twitch streamer Kai Cenat taken into custody after chaotic giveaway in NYC’s Union Square

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Image: NBC 4

On Friday, a massive gathering of people showed up at New York City’s Union Square for a giveaway hosted by two social media influencers, mega-popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat and another streamer, Fanum. Cenat and “a few other people” have been arrested, NBC 4 reports.

In a press conference given after the incident, NYPD chief of department Jeffrey Maddrey responded to questions about the streamer, saying, “we do have him” (presumably referring to Cenat) but didn’t specify in what precinct.

Watch live as NYPD executives brief the media on an ongoing incident in Manhattan. https://t.co/IZfhsMwPiC

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 4, 2023

Some Subway trains had been bypassing Union Square because of the gathering, but the NYCT Subway X account said later that the L train is now making the stop.

Cenat and Fanum have continued posting to social media, sharing and deleting images on their Instagram stories, including one with the text, “I love you guys to the fullest you guys are amazing, THE LOVE FROM HOME BASE IS REAL, Please be safe.”

Image: Kai Cenat / Fanum (Instagram)

Cenat is the most-subscribed streamer on Twitch, according to TwitchTracker. The giveaway was set to take place at Union Square Park at 4PM ET (we had linked to an announcement of the giveaway on X, but Cenat deleted the post), and according to reports, the park was full of people by 3PM. Cenat posted a nearly three-minute stream on Twitch in a big crowd that didn’t show much detail.

A bit earlier, he posted a video from the inside of a vehicle before getting out, talking about multiple PS5s he intended to give away while showing off a huge stack of $100 gift cards. The video quickly devolves into chaos when Cenat exits the vehicle, with the crowd immediately collapsing on Cenat and his group.

Update August 4th, 6:15PM ET: Added NYPD press conference details.