Twitch star Kai Cenat urged his massive fan base to come out for a Manhattan gamer giveaway while claiming “We’re gonna go crazy, bro!” — just days before the packed illegal event turned into a violent melee.
The 21-year-old famous online streamer said in a video last week that he picked landmark Union Square for the event because the stunt “would get shut down ASAP” if he chose a busier Big Apple spot such as Times Square’s “Red Steps.”
“We’re making sure to have good like protection and s–t,” Cenat said. “You already know, we’re trying to chill and s–t.
“All my New York n—-rs, I f–king love you n—-rs to death,” he said. “But ya’ll n—-rs are wild. Ya’ll n—-rs are animals, bro. Let’s be real, bro. When you n—–rs get too lit, when there’s too much going on, like, n—–rs start violating s–t.”
“That s–t might end really quick depending on how rowdy you get and s–t like that,” said the influencer, who has 20 million online followers.
“Now, look — it is a public area,” he added. “So anything can happen, bro. Anything can happen.
“Make sure you pull up with somebody. Just make sure you pull up with a friend to make sure ya’ll are good and s–t like that.
“New York is f–king insane, n—-r. But I need all my New York n—–rs out there. We’re gonna go crazy, bro.”
Police said thousands of Cenat’s online followers swarmed Union Square for freebie PS5s and other goodies around 3:30 p.m. Friday, with the mob erupting in violence that left at least seven people injured and 66 in handcuffs — including Cenat and influencer Denzel “Duke” Dennis.
Cenat was charged with inciting to riot, unlawful assembly and related charges, police said. He was given a desk-appearance ticket and is due in court Aug. 18, the Manhattan DA’s office said Sunday.
On Sunday, police released photos of six of the eight teenagers still being sought for trashing an NYPD vehicle.
At a press briefing Friday, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said cops were tipped off about the impromptu promotion a few hours before it started — but didn’t anticipate it would get out of hand so fast.
“The local precinct sent a few police officers,” Maddrey said. “But this event grew exponentially, rapidly fast. Again, this is the power of social media.
“As the crowd grew, our response grew,” he said. “A lot of these people were not following our orders. They really wanted to see this influencer. It got to the point where we take control of the scene.”
Cenat promised to give out free PS5 game consoles, computers, accessories and gift cards during the Twitch broadcast.
Mayor Eric Adams has blamed both parents for not reining in their kids and “outside agitators” for helping to stir up trouble that day.
Additional reporting by Steven Vago