Internet Twitch star Kai Cenat faces misdemeanor in Manhattan riot

Internet influencer Kai Cenat was freed from police custody early Saturday after he was charged with misdemeanors for sparking a riot in Union Square on Friday that drew thousands of people and resulted in dozens of arrests and injuries.

Around 12:15 a.m. Saturday, Cenat left the 19th Precinct station house on E. 67th St. on the Upper East Side.

He’d been in custody since Friday afternoon, when thousands of people — mostly teens — crowded Union Square in Manhattan in the belief Cenat was going to give away PlayStation gaming consoles and other prizes.

Clad in a gray hoodie and accompanied by a burly bodyguard, he was rushed into a waiting SUV and driven away. He did not answer reporters’ shouted questions.

Three law enforcement sources told the Daily News that Cenat was given a desk appearance ticket. The ticket, which does not require bail, will require Cenat to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court for arraignment on misdemeanor charges of inciting a riot, said the sources.

Under New York Law, inciting a riot is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by no more than 364 days in jail. People convicted of such offenses often get no jail time.

During the Friday afternoon melee, police officers called to the scene from across the city were pelted with bottles, paint cans, rocks and other debris, countless people were injured, and evening rush hour subway service was diverted from Union Square.

Cenat, 21, was among around two dozen people arrested in the incident, which he’d advertised on X — the site formerly known as Twitter — and in other online hot spots.

Cenat has amassed six million followers on Twitch, a site that focuses on streaming people playing video games.