Prosecutors Drop Kai Cenat NYC Riot Charges in Exchange for Snapchat Apology and Damages

In August 2023, popular online streamer Kai Cenat was charged with two counts of inciting a riot after a giveaway that he hosted in New York City’s Union Square descended into chaos, resulting in damages and safety concerns. Prosecutors have since decided to drop the charges against the 22-year-old in exchange for $55,000 in restitution and an apology.

The condition of the charges being dropped, according to the New York Times, required Cenat to issue a public apology and allow it to remain public for 24 hours. The streamer posted his statement on Snapchat, which doesn’t publicly share view counts or likes on story posts. The three-paragraph apology was posted 14 hours ago, opening with an acknowledgment that the event created “an unsafe situation for the people who live and work in the neighborhood, first responders and my followers that attended the event.”

Cenat added: “I am from NY and would never want to see the city turned upside down due to unwanted, irresponsible, and dangerous behavior. I wanted to do something cool and fun for people and did not think it was going to turn into something that caused harm to the city, and I should have thought more about the post before I announced it. The actions of some of the people that attended were unacceptable. At no time is it ok to act out physically in situations like this or to destroy property or try to harm people.”

The giveaway was hosted on Aug. 4, when Cenat and fellow streamer Fanum told their audiences that people who showed up at Union Square Park would receive a free PlayStation 5. That type of unsanctioned mass gathering in a highly trafficked area would normally require permits and a planned police presence, neither of which Cenat planned for.

Cenat was charged alongside Denzel Dennis and Muktar Din, who covered the remaining balance following the streamer’s restitution payment to the Union Square Partnership to cover landscaping and other repairs totaling $57,000. Dennis and Din are also expected to publish apologies, though their audience isn’t quite as large as Cenat’s. The streamer boasts 9.5 million Instagram followers and 6.5 million YouTube subscribers.

“It was never my intent for it to get so out of hand, and I have learned a very valuable lesson that social media is a very powerful tool to do good, but it can also cause dangerous unwanted situations if it is not used properly,” Cenat concluded in his apology. “Going forward, I understand that with my platform and followers I have a huge responsibility and must always think about the Impact and consequences of my posts.”