Late one Saturday night in McAllen, Texas, Sanjay Singhania received a distressing phone call from an unknown number informing him that his son, Akash Singhania, was being arrested. Akash, 25, who lived in Dallas and was visiting Los Angeles at the time, did not answer his phone. Using location-sharing enabled on their devices, the family tracked him to Santa Ana, California. After contacting local police, Akash’s brother found him and shared a link to a livestream on the platform Kick titled “CATCHING CHILD PREDATORS!”

In a suburban park roughly 1,500 miles away from the Singhania household, a group led by Vitaly Zdorovetskiy—known online simply as Vitaly—was preparing to confront Akash. Vitaly, a Russian-born internet personality who gained fame for provocative pranks on YouTube, had pivoted to livestreaming so-called "predator-catching" operations on Kick, where he had amassed millions of followers. His team arranged for a decoy woman posing as someone underage to lure men from dating apps and then ambush them on camera.

Akash had been communicating with a woman via Pure, a dating app designed for casual encounters. Unbeknownst to him, the woman was a decoy working with Vitaly’s crew, who claimed Akash believed she was 16. When Akash and the decoy arrived at the park, Vitaly confronted him on camera, accusing him of intending to engage sexually with a minor. The incident quickly attracted over 24,000 viewers on the livestream, with many viewers making hostile comments.

Akash denied the accusations, stating that the decoy never informed him of being underage. He showed messages from the dating app to support his innocence but was pressured by Vitaly’s team and the decoy, who alleged that the conversation had moved to Snapchat where the decoy supposedly confessed her age. Akash contested seeing that message and claimed it was from a fake account.

Despite his protests, Akash was handcuffed and taken into custody by Santa Ana police. The police department later confirmed that Akash was questioned and released without investigation and that he was not a suspect. However, the livestream and the exposure of Akash's identity led to an outpouring of online harassment directed at him and his family, including doxxing and threatening messages.

Vitaly’s lawyer, Doug Johnson, stated that Vitaly “categorically denies any allegations of illegality or intentional wrongdoing” and emphasized that reporting suspected predators to law enforcement was part of Vitaly’s stated mission. Johnson added that the team typically coordinated with authorities, though police response was not always guaranteed.

Following the incident, Vitaly posted an apology on X (formerly Twitter), admitting his team had mistakenly portrayed Akash as a predator and asking followers to cease contact. Vitaly also deleted that night’s livestream episode and, per his lawyer, attempted to remove related clips. Nevertheless, numerous video clips had already circulated widely online.

The fallout from the incident has posed significant challenges for Akash. His legal representatives have indicated he is considering options that include defamation claims. Akash himself reported continued harassment and expressed lasting distrust of online dating platforms.

Vitaly’s Kick account, which had been suspended temporarily, was reinstated in mid-May. Upon returning, he announced plans to continue predator-catching operations, this time targeting locations in Europe, and resumed gambling livestreams sponsored by Stake, an online casino connected to Kick. Despite the controversy, Vitaly maintains a substantial online presence and endorsement deals.

The case highlights growing concerns about the intersection of online vigilantism, livestreaming entertainment, and the potential for serious reputational damage arising from public accusations, especially in a context where evidence is disputed and legal boundaries remain unclear.