A 45-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot an 11-year-old child who beat him at the popular video game Fortnite.
Michael Aliperti from New York was charged with second-degree aggravated harassment and acting in a manner to injure a child, according to local authorities, after sending text and voice messages to the boy.
"Mr Aliperti did not directly threaten the school, but he did threaten the 11-year-old stating he knew where he went to school, so that was good enough for us," said Police Chief Stuart Cameron.
According to court documents cited by NBC, Mr Aliperti threatened the life of his 11-year-old gaming rival, prompting police patrols of the child's school.
"I am going to find you with a gun," he allegedly said. "You dead. I will come to your house tonight and f**k your world up."
Mr Aliperti faces a fine and potentially jail time for the charges, and is currently being held on a $2,500 bond.
Fortnite has become hugely popular since launching in 2017, attracting more than 125 million players to the multi-player online video game.
Its popularity has also brought with it numerous controversies, including cyber crime campaigns and warnings of gaming addiction.
Children's charities have previously warned of the dangers that young people are exposed to when they play online games.
"While Fortnite is extremely poopular with young people, it's important that players and parents are aware of the potential risks," a spokesperson for the NSPCC told The Independent:
"We know from our research that children are being exposed to inappropriate or violent content across a range of social networking sites and games.
