Twitch streamer's giveaway sparks mayhem in Union Square – ABC7 New York

Friday, August 4, 2023 8:36PMUNION SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) — Thousands of people have overrun Union Square Park and surrounding lanes of traffic Friday as a popular Twitch streamer held a video game giveaway.Over the last few days, Kai Cenat, one of the most popular streamers on the video game streaming website Twitch, announced that he would give away Playstation 5 video game consoles at 4 p.m. in Union Square.Thousands of people showed up and took over the park and the roads bordering it as police struggled to contain them.Upon first arriving over the scene, Eyewitness News reporter Shannon Sohn in Newscopter 7 reported seeing a group of police officers holding up pieces of plywood and taking cover behind cars that were stuck on 14th Street because of the crowd as they were pelted by objects thrown from the mass of people.There was construction happening near the 14th Street subway station and people in the crowd had grabbed and were throwing paint cans and other equipment.Several people climbed on top of the gazebo which covers the subway as well as the George Washington Statue, which depicts the former president riding a horse.As of 4:30 p.m. the situation remains out of control.NYPD
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