Union Square is recovering from the pandemonium that erupted Friday afternoon when hundreds of fans of the YouTube sensation Kai Carlo Cenat turned out to watch him in action and a riot resulted.
Dozens of spectators began fighting at around 3 p.m., throwing paint cans, bottles, and anything they could get their hands on into the crowd. One man set off a fire extinguisher while another was walking around with a pickaxe after they tore their way into a construction site. Most of those involved were teenagers.
Police responded to the mayhem soon after, arresting 65 people, 30 of whom were juvenile. Cenat was also detained by police and is facing two counts of inciting a riot.
Cops estimated the crowd totaled about 2,000. It took several hours to bring the chaos under control and re-establish safety in Union Square. The park was closed Friday night as crews cleaned up the area, according to Julie Stein, executive director of the Union Square Partnership.
“We urge our local residents and businesses to exercise caution and follow guidance from authorities,” Stein wrote in an email alert sent Friday evening. “We will be following up with City officials and NYPD in the days ahead to discuss how something similar could be prevented in the future.”
The scene in Union Square on Friday was chaotic. So many arrests were made that police had to commandeer an MTA bus to contain the individuals.
The horde also hurled fireworks at cops who were attempting to break up the mayhem, exploding in plumes of smoke sending some of their fellow teens running. Others stayed steadfast however, scaling statues in the park, dining sheds, the Union Square Station overhead canopy, which was under construction, in the surrounding area.
“Our officers were attacked. We were in there, we were crushed. We were pushed to the ground,” Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. “I was hit with multiple objects as well.”
While Maddrey underscored that this is the most brutal and violent incident to unfold after a giveaway, it has not been the first. Maddrey told amNewYork Metro that they will be looking to prevent such events in the future.
“We have encountered things like this before, but never to this level of danger. Young people would not listen to our commands. They were fighting each other, they were hurting each other and they were turning attacks on us. We had to defend ourselves when we had to make arrests,” Maddrey said.
Many were drawn to the event since the social media influencer planned to give away items such as PS5s, computers and gaming devices. However, it is unclear if any PS5’s were even handed out.
This story was updated on Aug. 5 at 9:55 a.m.
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