A Long Island man is being charged with second-degree harassment and “acting in a manner to injure a child” after allegedly losing to an 11-year-old in Fortnite: Battle Royale.
The man, Michael Aliperti, 45, was accused of threatening to shoot the child, according to police and NBC New York. Aliperti reportedly sent threatening text and voice messages to the child through Xbox after the loss. NBC News said the man threatened to shoot the child, “possibly at his school.” Aliperti was arrested in Huntington, New York early this morning. The messages were sent on Sept. 17.
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Police reportedly tracked the messages to Aliperti before the arrest. His arraignment is set for today.
Fortnite is an immensely popular battle royale game created by developer Epic Games. The game is especially popular among kids. Harassment from players has sadly been the norm for online games much longer than Fortnite has been around.
