The Most Dangerous Things To Ever Happen On Stream

Stream sniping is widely frowned upon by the competitive gaming community, since it's essentially the streaming equivalent of looking at your opponent's screen during an otherwise-friendly splitscreen match. But, some streamers will tell you that stream sniping is also a great way for random strangers to locate content creators in the real world. This knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands.

Sushipotatoo is a livestreamer who records the streets of Japan one night at a time. She visits convenience stores, chats with passersby, and eats snacks. But, on February 24, 2021, her stream took a potentially dangerous turn. She was taking her daily nocturnal sabbatical when a complete stranger drove up and claimed he was a fan. He also demonstrated this by offering Sushipotatoo a birthday present — an expensive necklace from Tiffany — and letting her get in his car to open it.

Normally, here is where things get creepy, but Sushipotatoo lucked out, since the gift-giving stream sniper was just the beginning of a momentous night. Sushipotatoo hung out with him and drove around until dawn. They even shared the breakfast of champions together: sushi.

The stars must have aligned for Sushipotatoo, since she came across a total stranger who actually wanted to know her better and didn't want to hurt her. Despite Sushipotatoo's preternatural luck, it's generally a bad idea to accept presents from and jump into the cars of any random stranger who approaches you. That's a great way to get kidnapped.

Alcohol and bullets do not mix. It's always a bad idea to fire a gun while under the influence of alcohol — or while drunk on gamer rage. Firearm instructors always claim you should never point a gun at something unless you plan to shoot, after all.

One of the prime examples of dangerous and inebriated gun handling came to the streaming world from Carl "SoaR Carl" Reimer. Early in March 2020, he got drunk while streaming and cocked a handgun while daring viewers to say he didn't have money. He thought it was unloaded and therefore safe to pull the trigger — but it wasn't. The gun went off and demolished the G-Fuel container on his desk, as well as his career. Reimer was banned from Twitch and booted from his esports team (via Dexerto). Luckily, no one was hurt during the incident.

However, alcohol isn't the only cause of improper gun handling while streaming. In December 2020, Faze sWiisH (no affiliation with the actual FaZe Clan, apparently) experienced a humiliating death in "Call of Duty: Warzone," so he vented his frustration by opening a window and unloading an entire handgun clip worth of catharsis into the night. Luckily, according to Dexerto, the window faces an empty field, so nobody got hurt. But, it's still dangerously (and potentially fatally) irresponsible to fire a gun blindly — for any reason.

Many content creators livestream from the safety and privacy of their own homes, but others broadcast their daily public lives, and not every bystander likes getting caught on film. Most people would just turn away and avoid these IRL streams — but then again, most people don't pretend to be with the mob.

Paul "Ice Poseidon" Denino is a name many people should recognize. He started as a "Runescape" streamer and eventually graduated to streaming his daily life. Unfortunately, this direction placed him in the crosshairs of many controversies and dangerous situations. For instance, during one stream, Ice Poseidon sat down for a bite to eat when an irate man approached him and claimed to be the restaurant's owner. In a threatening tone, the man also claimed to be with the local mafia and that numerous people had complained about Ice Poseidon, telling him, "The sooner you leave, the better."

Ice Poseidon quickly vamoosed, because who would want to get on the mafia's bad side and risk their life? Well, it turns out the "owner's" bark was worse than his bite. Ice Poseidon eventually returned to the restaurant and had a friendly chat with its real owner. The guy who approached him was a delivery system assistant who wasn't even actively employed at the restaurant at the time of the confrontation.

If the faker lied about his status at the restaurant, it's likely that he exaggerated his "gangster" connections. Still, it's pretty scary when anyone threatens you with ties to organized crime, especially if it's for something as innocuous as livestreaming.

It's a common trope in comedies for champagne bottle corks to break fragile objects and blacken eyes, so most people open them with care. However, one streamer had the brilliant idea to turn a champagne bottle cork into a game of Russian roulette. He also accidentally reminded himself it was a bad idea by demonstrating it live on stream.

Since 2015, Kyle "Bitwit" Hansen has teamed up with Paul "Paul's Hardware" Heimlich to produce Awesome Hardware, a weekly video series about everything tech and PC (the two recently went their separate ways). While Hansen and Heimlich primarily created computer-themed vlogs, they also occasionally goofed around on set, which once almost cost Hansen an eye. 

In 2017, Hansen was brainstorming live about a "game" in which participants would take turns loosening a champagne bottle cork while pointing it at their eyes. The loser would be whoever caught an facefull of flying cork. Hansen discussed this idea while slowly loosening a bottle cork and looking at it (cue dramatic irony).

The bottle was barely an inch away from Hansen's face when it exploded and sent the cork screaming towards him. Luckily, Hansen was wearing glasses, so his eyes were protected from harm. The experience did, however, give him a nasty shock — and an unwanted champagne shampooing.

If it weren't for his glasses, Hansen probably wouldn't have been able to laugh off the experience, so let his mistake be a lesson: If you liken a competition to Russian roulette, it's probably bad for your health.

Distracted driving is dangerous driving. If you are paying attention to your phone, especially if you are using your phone to livestream, you could easily cause a fatal accident.

In July 2017, Nikol Barabasova was driving with her friend just outside of Obrnice, Czech Republic (via The Daily Telegraph). They were singing along to music and generally having a good time. Even though Barabasova's friend was livestreaming their fun, Barabasova was unfortunately preoccupied and continually took her hands off the steering wheel while traveling at high speeds.

Around 10 minutes into the stream, Barabasova and her friend hit a road barrier. The stream captured the crash and continued to broadcast for another horrible half hour. According to The Daily Mail, emergency services didn't arrive until 20 minutes after the incident. Barabasova's friend sustained multiple injuries. Tragically, Barabasova didn't survive.

Moreover, Barabasova isn't the only example of a driver who was livestreaming at the time of a wreck. In 2016, Onasi Olio-Rojas recorded himself driving at over 110 mph near Providence, Rhode Island (via NBC 10 WJAR). He weaved in and out of traffic until he finally lost control and rammed into a garbage truck and concrete barrier. However, despite the severity of the crash, Olio-Rojas survived in critical condition.

You've probably either watched or are aware of the train scene from the movie "Stand by Me," in which children are almost run over by a train while on a bridge. You might assume that real children would never do such a thing, but some streamers have almost been run over by trains in tunnels.

The internet contains a disturbing number of videos featuring people recording treks into train tunnels, only to narrowly avoid being hit. One example belongs to YouTuber Takashima, who likes to explore abandoned buildings. In one video, he ventured into a train tunnel and was smart about it. He constantly stopped to feel the tracks for any vibrations, as well as listen for the telltale chugging of an oncoming train. Well, one came barreling along, and he only had a few seconds to find safety. Luckily, he ducked into a nearby alcove, which protected him.

A more harrowing encounter with a train has resurfaced in a 2018 video by Nuke's Top 5. While the channel usually only features collections of potential hauntings, one clip features a group of children led by a boy (identified as YouTuber Teegan Papke) who venture into a train tunnel. The tunnel was darker and longer than expected, and the more the boys walked, the more they panicked, especially when a train started charging at them. Like Takashima, the boys hugged the wall, but they didn't find a protective alcove. While Papke and co. managed to escape unscathed, the train passed far too close for comfort.

Let these two filmed events serve as a warning: Never go wandering into train tunnels.

Random attacks are always horrifying. One second, a person is going about their business; the next, someone is trying to seriously harm them. Even when they survive, the attack can leave lasting damage. Just ask Raydempto.

Also known as Outdoor IRL, Raydempto likes to broadcast his daily adventures in Amsterdam. During a February 2022 stream, Raydempto claimed that the city is pretty safe and he felt fine living there because "there's police stations everywhere." Unfortunately, that didn't stop a visibly intoxicated stranger from approaching Raydempto, putting a hand on his shoulder, and claiming he would kill him.

At first, Raydempto went along with the man — assuming it was a joke — but his good mood quickly turned to panic when the stranger attempted to strangle him. Raydempto begged for the man to let go, but he didn't. Raydempto quickly lost consciousness, and the stream cut to black. 

Thankfully, Raydempto filed a police report, and the stranger was arrested several days later. While Raydempto initially seemed to recover quickly (via Dexerto), his health eventually took a nosedive. He visited a local doctor and found out that he had a concussion, possibly due to the attack. His condition and the fate of his attacker (i.e., if he will be charged for attempted murder) are an ongoing story, but with any luck, Raydempto can put this chapter of his life behind him.

Pepper spray is a fairly effective deterrent that helps people protect themselves. But what happens when the sprayer is the guilty party? 

Anthime Joseph Gionet, otherwise known as Baked Alaska, is a streamer who has accrued a ton of infamy. He started as an internet prankster and Buzzfeed commentator, but he eventually devolved into a vocal white supremacist. Many of his livestreams, which feature an AI that reads viewer comments aloud, consist of him being confrontational (and getting arrested), but a particularly dangerous incident did not go that way.

In one stream, Baked Alaska stopped at a gas station and convenience store, and the night seemed like it would be nice and calm until his phone started spamming a racial slur at one viewer's request. That's when everything fell apart. Baked Alaska claimed the situation was out of his control because viewers were at fault, but he also refused to apologize or diffuse the situation, so tempers flared. Eventually, everyone around him had enough — especially after the phone started another round of offensive spam — and attacked him. Baked Alaska whipped out his pepper spray to deter one stranger and barely escaped to his vehicle. While Baked Alaska got out scot-free, he wasn't so lucky several months later, when he argued with a bouncer who shoved him in response. Baked Alaska maced the man and was later arrested and sentenced to 30 days jail time (per The Daily Beast).

Baked Alaska would later participate in the January 6 Capitol riot and was subsequently arrested again.

No matter where you go in the world, you will always find at least one person who thinks they can push you around. You'd be surprised how many streamers who film their daily lives catch these types in the act.

Sushipotato is a fairly popular streamer who broadcasts from Japan. Most of her clips are fairly harmless as she walks around town, visits various hotspots, and eats bananas, but one stream was particularly harrowing for her. The night started normally until a host club host asked her for translation advice. The interaction was fairly friendly, but then a stranger told the host to bar her from entry because "she's a foreigner." 

However, Sushipotato is a card-carrying, native-born Japanese citizen (she's half-Japanese and half-Irish, hence her username), so she confronted the stranger and displayed proof of citizenship. He apologized and went on his way. That seemed to be the end of their interaction. If only it were.

After the initial confrontation, Sushipotato got a bite to eat, walked back to the area where the uncomfortable meeting took place, and sat down. That's when the stranger approached her again, only this time he decided that he owned the street corner. He told her to move, but she refused since she wasn't in his way. He then started dragging Sushipotato into the street, which rightfully terrified her. But what's most dangerous of all is that as Sushipotato recorded the assault, she also caught multiple people on camera who saw her and did nothing.

According to Game Rant, Sushipotato ultimately decided not to report the incident to the police.

A home is supposed to be a safe haven from the elements and criminals. Few experiences are quite as much of a kick in the gut as burglars breaking into your house or apartment. While streamers aren't immune to these crimes, they can at least make these criminals unwittingly broadcast their transgressions to millions.

One 2014 streaming session of "DOTA 2" started normally for Nikki "Sajedene" Elise, but partway into a match, she heard a knock at the door. Her roommate left to investigate, and several minutes later, yelling was heard from another room. Sajedene abandoned her game to check on the commotion just before someone told her to drop to the ground. Seconds later, an unidentified man with a gun barged into her room. The next 10-15 minutes consisted of disturbing silence, punctuated by the intruders occasionally yelling and actively looting Sajedene's room live on camera. 

When Sajedene later recounted the event, she added a few more details, which painted the robbery as more harrowing than viewers even knew. The robbers had kicked her door in and invaded her home because they thought she had drugs, but when they didn't find any, they just started stealing everything that wasn't nailed down. The kicker? The robbers were apparently looking for someone else and put Sajedene's life in danger by accident.

In a bit of good news, Sajedene's fans and "DOTA 2" community members from around the world alerted the police (per Kotaku), and one of the robbers was eventually arrested.