A Long Island, New York, man was arrested Tuesday after police say he threatened to shoot an 11-year-old boy over a Fortnite video game loss.
According to a Suffolk County news release, officials responded to a report by an unidentified Kings Park boy who said he received “threatening text messages and online voice messages from a man he recently beat during a game of Fortnite” Monday night.
Officials subsequently arrested 45-year-old Michael Aliperti, of Huntington, on charges of second-degree aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child, Suffolk County Police Chief Stuart Cameron said at a news conference.
“I’m going to find you with a gun,” Aliperti threatened, according to a criminal complaint obtained by New York Post. “You dead. I will come to your house tonight and f–k your world up. I’m gonna f**king f**k your world up.”
Police said the boy received the petrifying messages via Xbox after beating the man during gameplay, who he had played against for “several months.” Fortnite is a highly-popular game of survival where players battle to be the last one standing.
Cameron warned parents about the dangers of allowing children to play video games with strangers.
“Parents should be cautioned. You have no idea unless you know exactly the other end of the game who people are playing with—in this case an 11-year-old child was playing this Xbox live game with a 45-year-old man.”
The case comes on the heels of another video game horror story.
On August 26, David Katz opened fire in Jacksonville, Florida, at a Madden NFL Series video game tournament that he was reportedly eliminated from the day before—killing two people before turning the gun on himself.
Aliperti is behind bars with bail set at $2,500. An order of protection has been issued for the boy.
[Feature Image: Michael Aliperti/Suffolk County Police Department]