Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar is the latest streamer to speak out on the topic of swatting when he revealed that being “the most swatted streamer” on Twitch has put the lives of his friends and loved ones in danger countless times.
Being one of the top streamers on Twitch and a massive celebrity with millions of fans certainly has its perks, but is also comes with plenty of downfalls. In recent years, many of the most popular content creators have been subjected to the dangerous practice of swatting.
Despite incidents involving huge Twitch streamers like Tfue and massive YouTube personalities like Ethan Klein, many fans remain ignorant to the extreme danger that these situations can create and might not realize just how often they occur.
The latest in a long line of prominent content creators to speak out against the practice of swatting is Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar, who revealed that his own swatting incidents have put numerous lives at risk — including that of his very own father.
Lazar opened up about his own experiences with swatting in a series of tweets shared on May 23. The massive personality revealed that he’s been subjected to even more swatting than people might have imagined, due to the fact that he hasn’t shared any of his experiences.
“Can’t tell you how many lives have been at risk [because of swatting],” he revealed on Twitter. Summit also shared that these dangerous events had even affected his own father’s safety: “Gotta move my dad who just [moved in], wasting my adult time for your childish actions.
“It’s sad [that] the only way to stop [swatting] besides the obvious [hiding your address] is to pretty much recognize that you’ve been swatted. I can only imagine how many idiots have been confused [because] nothing happened on stream so they do it again.”
And it’s kinda sad cuz I feel like the only way to stop it 100% besides the obvious “do a better job hiding your address” is to pretty much recognize that you’ve been swatted. I can only imagine how many idiots have been confused cuz nothing happened on stream so they do it again
— summit1g (@summit1g) May 23, 2021
Summit’s sudden revelation about his encounters with swatting shocked the gaming community. Dozens of his fellow streamers and hundreds of fans shared their support in the replies to his tweets.
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Fellow streamer Lauren ‘MsTeamKK’ Johnson expressed her sympathy for Summit, and her and frustration with the practice.
I wish there was a better way for them to track down these idiots cause they deserve to be behind bars. I’m so sorry you have to deal with this.
— Lauren (@MsTeamKK) May 23, 2021
While some people might swat a streamer out of anger or to escalate a feud with another creator, many do it simply to see the streamer’s reaction as the events unfold live in front of thousands of viewers — something that Lazar seems all too aware of.
Despite the seriousness of Summit’s situation, the streamer did send out a couple of reassuring tweets to his fans.
Didn’t mean to worry you guys, don’t stress I’m just annoyed lol.
— summit1g (@summit1g) May 23, 2021
Lazar also confirmed that his local law enforcement agency has handled the situations properly and helped to keep him and the other occupants of his home safe: “I’m honestly super fortunate that the police have handled it like pros every single time.”
Swatting remains an unfortunate, ever-looming threat for many working in content creation. Summit speaking out about his own experiences with swatting has provided another chance to reflect on the seriousness of these illegal actions, and what can be done to address them in the future.