Last week, a teenager named Adrian posted a video on TikTok inviting people to his birthday party at LA’s Huntington Beach – the only stipulation was “BYOE”, or “bring your own everything”. The now-deleted clip amassed millions of views, while an estimated 2,500 turned up to Saturday’s (May 22) event, which – unsurprisingly – descended into chaos.

Over 150 people were arrested after thousands of teens gathered to rev in their cars, kick each other off trolleys, and set off fireworks into the crowd. Some attendees even travelled from other states for the party, which was dubbed #AdriansKickback on social media.

Videos online show huge crowds dancing on the beach, scaling palm trees and flag poles, and jumping on police cars. The #AdriansKickback hashtag on TikTok has over 267 million views, with everyone asking one thing: where is Adrian?

New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz managed to track down the 17-year-old, who said he made the invite on Monday night and “started spreading it out on Snap”. Adrian and his friend created the infamous TikTok on Tuesday morning, which they said “didn’t blow up” straight away.

The event once again reminds us of the (often bizarre) power of social media, which, in 2015, encouraged 50,000 Brits to tune in to an American teenager’s private flute recital, then, in 2019, led hundreds of people to “storm” Area 51. Last year, ahead of the US presidential election, teens on TikTok even organised to sabotage Donald Trump’s IRL campaign.

Watch some of the videos from #AdriansKickback below.