NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A YouTuber is facing charges after filming a prank earlier this month where he pretended to suffer a medical emergency in Times Square prompting first responders to break into his car to try and save him, officials said.
Zeeshan Saroya, 30, known on YouTube as Prince Zee faces charges including obstructing government administration, making a false report, and disorderly conduct for orchestrating his prank on Jan. 10 near the corner of Broadway and West 46th Street, authorities said.
Saroya, a Queens resident, hid a small GoPro camera inside a tissue box which was placed on the dashboard of his friend’s car.
Police were flagged when a witness spotted him slumped over the wheel while pretending to be passed out at a stoplight.
Responding officers couldn't open the car door and had to shatter its windows in order to Saroya out, a video shows.
Medics also responded to the scene to examine Saroya, who attributed his fainting to "two workouts and a red bull."
Saroya was sent home police tracked him down on Thursday, just three days after he posted the 13-minute prank video on his YouTube channel where he gave details on how he planned to pull the prank off, also gave the NYPD, medics and “everybody that helped my a**," a shoutout.
Saroya, whose other YouTube videos include him passing out or falling asleep on passengers on subway trains was issued a desk appearance ticket and is expected in court at a later date, police said.
"The YouTuber who faked a medical emergency in @TimesSquareNYC to gain followers also gained a criminal record, as he’s now been arrested & charged with the dangerous stunt that took NYC first responders away from other NYers in actual distress," NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea wrote on Twitter.