NYC Mayor Says ‘Outside Agitators’ May Have Aggravated Chaos in Union Square Riot

A giveaway event descended into chaos in Manhattan’s Union Square Park on Aug. 4 may be driven by “outside agitators,” according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
NYC Mayor Says ‘Outside Agitators’ May Have Aggravated Chaos in Union Square Riot
People run as a fireworks blow up as Members of the NYPD respond to the disruptions caused by large crowds during a "giveaway" event hosted by popular Twitch live streamer Kai Cenat in Union Square and the surrounding area in New York City on Aug. 4, 2023. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
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A giveaway event that descended into chaos in Manhattan’s Union Square Park on Aug. 4 may have been driven by “outside agitators,” according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Thousands of people, mostly young people, gathered in New York City on Aug. 4 in anticipation of getting free PlayStation 5s or gift cards from a social media personality.

But the gathering quickly devolved into a massive riot and police were called in. Aerial TV news footage showed a surging, tightly packed crowd running through the streets, scaling structures in the park, and snarling traffic. Shouting teenagers swung objects at car windows, threw paint cans, and set off fire extinguishers. Some people climbed on a moving vehicle, falling off as it sped away. Others pounded on or climbed atop city buses.

“We are further looking into where there’s some even outside agitators,” Mr. Adams told reporters at an unrelated briefing on Aug. 5.

“You don’t come to get free Game Boys and bring smoke bombs and bring M-80s and bring other disruptive items. We believe there were some outside influencers that may have attempted to aggravate this situation.”

People gather around and cheer for Kai Cenat (C) as members of the N.Y. Police Department respond to thousands of people gathered for a giveaway event announced by the popular Twitch livestreamer in Union Square and the surrounding area in New York on Aug. 4, 2023. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
People gather around and cheer for Kai Cenat (C) as members of the N.Y. Police Department respond to thousands of people gathered for a giveaway event announced by the popular Twitch livestreamer in Union Square and the surrounding area in New York on Aug. 4, 2023. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Dangers of Social Media

In a second press conference on Aug. 4, New York City Police Department Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said the latest mayhem underscored the power and danger of social media.
“We went from 300 kids to a couple of thousand kids in minutes—minutes,” Mr. Maddrey told reporters.
The event was organized by Kai Cenat, a video creator and live streamer with 3.7 million subscribers on YouTube and 6.5 million fans on Twitch, a livestreaming service.

Mr. Cenat, along with another liver streamer, Fanum, encouraged their fans to come to Union Square Park where they would show up and give away PlayStation 5s and other free gifts at 4 p.m. on Aug. 4.

Livestreaming on Twitch from a vehicle as the event gathered steam, Mr. Cenat displayed gift cards he planned to give away. Noting the crowd and police presence, he said: “Everybody who’s out there, make sure y’all safe. ... We’re not gonna do nothin’ until it’s safe.”

The social media influencer’s group, Any Means Possible (AMP), issued a statement on Aug. 5, saying the Manhattan event was intended to show their appreciation to fans.

“Yesterday members of AMP hoped to create a positive experience for fans and give back as a show of appreciation for their support,” AMP said in a statement to media outlets. “We’ve hosted fan meet-ups and video shoots in the past, but we’ve never experienced anything at the scale of what took place yesterday.”

“We recognize that our audience and influence is growing, and with that comes greater responsibility. We are deeply disheartened by the outbreak of disorderly conduct that affected innocent people and businesses, and do not condone that behavior.

“We apologize to all of those impacted. We are fully cooperating with local authorities.”

Members of the N.Y. Police Department respond to the disruptions caused by large crowds during a giveaway event hosted by popular Twitch live streamer Kai Cenat in Union Square and the surrounding area in New York on Aug. 4, 2023. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Members of the N.Y. Police Department respond to the disruptions caused by large crowds during a giveaway event hosted by popular Twitch live streamer Kai Cenat in Union Square and the surrounding area in New York on Aug. 4, 2023. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

The riots have led to at least 65 arrests, including 30 minors, the police said.

Mr. Cenat is facing charges of inciting a riot and promoting an unlawful gathering in New York City. He was released early on Aug. 5 from police custody after being issued a desk appearance ticket, which police issue to require a suspect to appear in court to answer charges. A police spokesperson said he is to appear in court on Aug. 18.

At least four civilians were taken away in ambulances, according to Mr. Maddrey. He added that he saw people leaving the scenes with blood, cuts, and bruises on their faces.

Three police officers were injured. Several police vehicles, including his own, were damaged.

“They destroyed food carts; they destroyed stores,” Mr. Maddrey said. “When the police cleared out the scene, some young people took plates off the people who were sitting outside dining and threw them at the police officers.”

A shattered windshield is seen as police officers line up during riots sparked by Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who announced a giveaway event in New York's Union Square on Aug. 4, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)
A shattered windshield is seen as police officers line up during riots sparked by Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who announced a giveaway event in New York's Union Square on Aug. 4, 2023. Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images
“When you have M-80s and heavy-duty explosives being thrown around a crowd of thousands of people, you’re talking about a very dangerous chaotic situation,” he said. “We can’t let this happen here. We can’t let this happen with our young people.”

‘Parenting Issue’

Mr. Maddrey thanked the parents who showed up or called his department to get their children out.

“But I had thousands of kids out there. I needed thousands of parents out there,” he said.

“We don’t want to do this. We want our young people to come out and gather and have fun, but when it gets to the point when they’re disorderly, we want the parents to come and take control.”

Echoing his comments, Mr. Adams said the police force is not able to solve such chaos alone.

“This is not a policing issue. This is a parenting issue,” Mr. Adams told reporters on Aug. 5.

“​​Police is the response after an incident happened, but there should be a proactive approach.

“When I looked at what happened in Union Square, the first thing I did was text my son and say, ‘Where are you? Are you in Union Square?’ And I wonder, with the thousands of children who were there hurling dangerous objects at police officers, disrespecting the residents in the area, attacking each other, how many parents text their children? And that old commercial that says, ‘10 p.m., do you know who your children are?’

“How many looked at that and said, ‘Let me text my son. Let me call my daughter. Are you down there?’ And so [the police department] is not going to be able to resolve these issues on our own. ”

A gathering of people degenerates into riots sparked by Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who announced a giveaway event, in New York's Union Square on Aug. 4, 2023. ( Yuki Iwamura / AFP via Getty Images)
A gathering of people degenerates into riots sparked by Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who announced a giveaway event, in New York's Union Square on Aug. 4, 2023.  Yuki Iwamura / AFP via Getty Images

The mayhem in Union Square put further focus on the dangers of social media.

“Our children are being inundated by influencers, by those who consider themselves to be credible messengers,” Mr. Adams said.

“Our children cannot be raised by social media.

“Our children cannot get their values, their beliefs from social media and other outside entities.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.