It’s one of the worst case scenarios to happen both to an online streamer and Pokemon Go player. We’ve all seen the YouTube video recordings of someone getting SWATed during a livestream, or something along those lines. But the case of Rickey of New York is different. Late last night he was livestreaming Pokemon Go from his phone during a walk, and an unknown assailant rushed up from behind and mugged him. All while the Twitch stream was still going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z6YPVsohzQ
To describe what exactly unfolds. For the first thirty seconds, Rickey is enjoying his game as usual. The mugger comes up from behind, punches him in the jaw and forces him to the ground. The thief looks calm as he tells Rickey to hand over his phone and everything else he has. With the phone in hand, the robber takes off down the street for a few minutes. When he feels he’s a far enough distance away, starting around 2:20 he begins accessing Rickey’s phone to disable the settings. This technique is used to wipe the phone clean so the mugger can resell it later. Rickey’s Twitch account was suspended as a precaution of his personal information being compromised. He stated on Twitter that he went to the police, and then to the hospital to take care of his jaw afterwards. The robber’s face was caught on camera, and the recording make chances of catching this individual more likely than most.
The lesson of this story is to be careful when playing Pokemon Go at night. Play with a friend if possible, and stay aware of your surroundings as much as you can. For the sake of saving yourself from an incident like this.
