Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, the 16-year old Fortnite gamer who took home $3 million in grand prize money in this summer’s Fortnite World Cup was swatted while livestreaming on Twitch this past Saturday night.
Giersdorf was playing Fornite Arena Trios with his friends when he abruptly left the stream for around 10 minutes. Prior to leaving the stream, Giersdorf was heard talking to his father, and said “I’ve been swatted”.
‘Swatting’ is a criminal form of harassment where someone makes a false emergency report to authorities, particularly a SWAT team, in an effort to get them to descend on their target.
Giersdorf would return to the stream saying; “Well, that’s a new one. They came in with guns, bro. They literally pulled up … That’s scary… The internet’s f—ing crazy.”
Corporal Albert Werner of the Upper Pottsgrove Township Police said that the department received a call, which came from Europe, from a person acting as Giersdorf, according to ESPN.