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CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Long Island social media influencer charged after allegedly pranking restaurants, homeowners
A Long Island social media influencer is facing charges over alleged pranks at restaurants and homes. Centereach resident Kyle Vazquez, 21, has 100,000 followers on TikTok and 5 million on Instagram. Influencer left messes behind at restaurants, homes, prosecutors say One video allegedly shows Vazquez pouring a bucket of beans over his head and onto the floor of Wing Wah restaurant, forcing the owners to close early and clean up the mess. Another video allegedly shows Vazquez pouring a huge container of egg yolks on his head outside a Ralph's Famous Italian Ices and then fleeing, leaving a mess of yolks and broken egg shells right outside the shop's front doors. Police say Vazquez also tricked homeowners, telling them he needed to use their bathrooms then leaving a mess behind. Vazquez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a slew of charges, including unlawful surveillance and criminal tampering. Prosecutors say if convicted, the so-called social media prankster faces fines and up to four years in prison. He was also issued five stay-away orders from those he allegedly pranked. After the hearing at Central Islip District Court, Vazquez turned his back on cameras, appeared to bump court officers and attempted to escape through an emergency door. Four friends picked Vazquez up from court, and they departed, taunting and jeering. "The main reason is the need for attention" "He probably is chasing social media fame, but again, there are consequences for that. But what he's also chasing is the dollar. He makes money off this," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said. "I can't imagine why they do this," Wing Wah restaurant worker Cindy Lin said. Hamed Qahri-Saremi, a professor at Colorado State University, researches and writes about social media trends. "Social media platforms sort of manipulate the users. The main reason is the need for attention," he said. "We call this high risk, high reward ... One reason we call them dangerous behaviors is because of the negative consequences it has both for the influencer and for the others."
New York Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Slobby Long Island ‘social media prankster' who dumps eggs, beans on himself busted for secretly filming in strangers' houses
He really Punk'd himself. A slobby 'social media prankster' dumped eggs and beans on himself in public restaurants and secretly filmed inside trusting strangers' homes — but the joke was on him when his idiotic videos got him arrested. Wannabe funny guy Kyle Vazquez, 21, left a mess at two local eateries with his boneheaded Instagram stunts that included taking advantage of trusting strangers who let him in their homes to use their bathrooms before 'creating a disturbance,' Suffolk County police said. 4 Social media prankster Kyle Vasquez was arrested after allegedly filming people in their home without permission. news12 4 Vasquez films videos where he pulls stunts like dumping food on himself in Long Island eateries. news12 Vazquez, who has almost 75,000 followers, drew attention to his own head with an April 29 video when he poured eggs on himself outside of a Ralph's Italian Ices in Centereach — saying to shell with the mess he left behind and making a getaway in a car, cops said. Workers said a professional cleaning crew had to come in to deal with the aftermath. One day later, a shirtless Vazquez went into the Centereach Chinese takeout spot Wing Wah and dumped beans all over himself on their floor, the department said. The pranks only got creepier from there, the department added. 4 Vasquez pouring eggs on his head outside of a Ralph's Italian Ices in Centereach on April 29, 2025. news12 4 A cleaning crew had to be hired to clean up the mess Vasquez left at the Ralph's ice cream parlor. Instagram/TommyTuffKnuckles In late May, he had allegedly went into three homes in the town and neighboring Selden after asking to use the bathroom. He started filming the people inside 'without their knowledge or consent while creating a disturbance,' authorities said in a statement. Vazquez was cuffed at a friend's Centereach house on Monday night on charges of unlawful surveillance and criminal tampering and was scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday in Islip court.
