Streamer Sam Pepper Banned After Firework Injures Teen

During Diwali festivities in New Delhi, British influencer Sam Pepper engaged in firing Roman candle-style fireworks with locals, livestreaming the chaotic scene. The situation escalated dangerously when Pepper directly hit a young teenage girl in the face with a firework, responding with celebratory remarks like “headshot” as if playing a video game. The injured girl was rushed to the hospital on the back of a bike, suffering a cut above her eyebrow that required medical treatment.

Pepper told Decrypt that the victim received a “butterfly stitch” and was released, claiming her “vision is fine” despite local rumors about more severe injury. The streamer stated he apologized to the family and provided cash compensation for hospital fees through a friend, though he admitted he couldn’t prove what he’d paid since the family doesn’t speak English and he was “too embarrassed to bother them more.”

The platforms responded swiftly to the viral incident. Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen confirmed Pepper was banned from the platform, contradicting Pepper’s initial claim of only a temporary ban. Kick also banned the streamer where he had cross-streamed the dangerous prank, demonstrating zero tolerance for content that endangers public safety.

The controversy had immediate financial consequences for Pepper’s cryptocurrency venture. His NERVE meme coin, launched on Solana via Pump.fun, dropped nearly 16% in value over 24 hours following the incident, according to DEX Screener data. The token’s market capitalization fell to approximately $148,000, reflecting investor concern about the streamer’s behavior and platform bans.

This market reaction illustrates the direct connection between influencer conduct and meme coin valuation in the current crypto landscape. The incident occurred on Pump.fun, a platform designed for token launches and promotions, creating a direct pathway from controversial content to financial repercussions for associated digital assets.

The NERVE token’s decline mirrors a pattern seen in previous Pump.fun incidents, where dangerous stunts intended to promote tokens instead triggered negative market reactions. The platform’s integration of streaming with token trading creates an environment where influencer behavior directly impacts token performance, establishing a new risk factor for crypto investors.

This incident represents the latest in a long history of controversial content from Sam Pepper. In 2014, he was investigated by the LAPD on suspicion of sexual offense after posting YouTube videos titled “Fake Hand Ass Pinch Prank” where he inappropriately touched multiple women and men. He claimed these were social experiments to highlight sexual harassment against men, but both videos were eventually removed.

The following year, Pepper faced further criticism for a video where he kidnapped a friend and pretended to shoot another friend in front of him. While viewers called the content cruel and petitions demanded its removal, the victim surprisingly defended the video in a since-deleted post, stating it strengthened their friendship.

This pattern of boundary-pushing content now extends to the crypto space, where Pepper’s latest actions have resulted in both platform bans and financial damage to his token holders. The consistency of these controversies suggests a content strategy that repeatedly tests platform boundaries and public tolerance.

Pepper’s firework incident isn’t the first safety concern associated with Pump.fun promotions. Last year, a Florida man suffered third-degree burns across 30% of his body after dousing himself in isopropyl alcohol and having friends shoot fireworks at him to pump his DARE meme coin. The token price increased temporarily, but the developer couldn’t capitalize due to his severe injuries and eventually quit the project.

These incidents highlight the dangerous intersection of meme coin promotion, live streaming, and risky behavior. Platforms like Pump.fun and Kick face increasing pressure to moderate content that encourages dangerous stunts, particularly when such content is directly tied to financial incentives through token promotion.

The recurring theme of safety violations in pursuit of viral content and token pumps suggests systemic issues within the crypto-streaming ecosystem. As platforms continue to integrate financial elements with content creation, the responsibility for user safety and content moderation becomes increasingly complex, with real-world consequences for both participants and bystanders caught in these dangerous promotional schemes.