But in the past two years, a growing number have gone a step further and violently attacked the targets in their videos, a New York Times analysis has found.
In one of the most brutal cases, a masked man who referred to himself online as “realjuujika,” allegedly broke into the home of a 73-year-old man in Pennsylvania last year, then tied him up and beat him with a hammer.
In a video, realjuujika stands over the bloodied man and claims he caught him trying to solicit sex from a 15-year-old boy. He robs the man and films his credit cards, sharing the information with his thousands of followers.
Realjuujika, at one point, turns to the man and says, “You will probably die tonight.” When the footage was streamed online weeks later, viewers cheered the violence.
The man was hospitalized, according to police reports, and needed surgery to stop the bleeding in his brain. The attack was part of a small, but disturbing trend that has spread on social media and attracted millions of viewers.
There have been more than 170 violent vigilante attacks by pedophile hunters since 2023, according to a Times analysis of hundreds of videos and social media posts. The footage shows hunters chasing their targets through retail stores, beating people bloody on public streets and shaving the heads of their targets. In the most extreme cases, people have been hospitalized with serious injuries.
The Times analysis found that at least 22 individuals and groups have inflicted violence in the name of pedophile hunting in the last two years, compared with roughly 40 others who made similar videos without violence. Most of the violent activity started in the past year.
“There has been a notable increase in overt physical violence within these groups,” said Emma Hussey, an Australian criminologist who studied U.S. pedophile hunters at Queensland University of Technology.
Pedophile hunting is among several vigilante movements in the United States. Groups in the South try to catch alleged drug smugglers at the border; others monitor local crime. The new wave of pedophile hunters stands out for adopting the social media influencer model, using real-life violence to build a following online.
This content is popular in online circles that feature crude and hypermasculine material intended to cater to young men. Some hunters have hundreds of thousands of followers, and claim to make a living from their videos. They offer exclusive footage to paying viewers and sell merchandise with their slogans and logos. At least one has a paid sponsorship deal.
With the growth of internet platforms that claim to embrace free speech, the hunters have been buoyed by the ability to publish their videos with few restrictions.
Websites like the crowdfunding network Locals and the livestreaming site Kick have amplified the hunters’ content, unlike many larger social media platforms, which have restricted it.
When asked about the site’s views on violent pedophile hunting content, Evan Macdonald, head of trust and safety at Kick, said it “maintains a neutral stance on individual content creators and does not hold any views as a platform.
“While creators are responsible for their own content, our Community Guidelines on violence are clear and we will remove content and take action against creators and users for breaches of these terms,” Mr. Macdonald said. Recordings of many violent livestreams have been taken off the site, but clips of the videos are still available on Kick and have been shared on other platforms.
Rumble, the video-sharing website that also owns Locals, did not respond to requests for comment.
Some longtime groups have built larger audiences after turning to violence. Dads Against Predators, the most prolific group analyzed by The Times, was not violent in the majority of its videos when it started in 2020. But after it began posting on Locals three years later, videos showed the group routinely brutalizing its targets, attacking at least 100 people, The Times found.
The group now claims to have hundreds of paying subscribers, and clips from their videos frequently go viral.
“To see early videos, unedited videos, fights, and stuff that will get me banned on social media head to locals!” wrote Joshua Mundy, one of the group’s founders, in a Facebook post.
Jay Carnicom of Dads Against Predators confronting an alleged predator in Monroe, Mich., in a video posted on Locals.
Dads Against Predators, via Locals
In June, a video of the group attacking a man in a Walmart near Albany, N.Y., accumulated more than 35 million views on X. The man, like many who have been targeted, declined to pursue charges, according to a police report. The Times reached out to more than two dozen people targeted by violent pedophile hunters, but none were willing to speak on the record.
Mr. Mundy and Jay Carnicom, a co-founder of Dads Against Predators, did not respond to questions from The Times.
Child predators are some of the most universally reviled people in the country. That has helped pedophile hunters shield themselves from public scrutiny of their actions. Often, the hunters post chat logs that they allege show their targets soliciting sex from people posing as minors, and in some cases law enforcement has worked with them to arrest and prosecute their targets.
But the violent groups are often less interested in working with the criminal justice system. “We don’t count arrests and catches,” Mr. Mundy said in an Instagram post claiming that Dads Against Predators had caused more suicides among its targets than any other group. “We count bodies.”
Law enforcement experts said those groups put bystanders in danger by attacking people in public places and jeopardize criminal cases.
“Attacking someone so you can make money on social media is a crime,” said District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe of Chester County, Pa., where the realjuujika attack took place.
“Life is not a comic book — people don’t get to be Batman,” Mr. de Barrena-Sarobe said in a statement. “Police officers are entrusted with investigating and enforcing the law because they have the tools to get the facts right and stand these cases up in a court of law.”
The potential consequences haven’t dissuaded the young people who are watching these videos. And some are starting to make their own.
In October, students at Assumption University in Massachusetts allegedly lured a 22-year-old man to campus, called him a predator and chased and attacked him when he tried to escape, according to a police report. After reviewing the man’s Tinder messages, officers said the man had thought he was meeting an 18-year-old student, not a 17-year-old, as the students had alleged.
Two weeks later, fraternity members and pledges at Salisbury University in Maryland allegedly posed as a 16-year-old on Grindr, a dating app used primarily by gay men. They invited a man to an off-campus apartment, where they restrained him, called him slurs and broke one of his ribs. The age of consent in Maryland is 16.
And in June, a man was arrested and linked to at least two attacks posted by realjuujika. According to court documents, the police found the man on surveillance cameras driving to his targets in cars registered to his father.
He was identified as Ahmad Al-Azzam, a 19-year-old from Pennsylvania.
In May, Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, one of the most popular pedophile hunters, had more than 80,000 viewers during a livestream. Clips from the stream were reposted, and collected millions of views.
“Violent Entrepreneurs”
Mr. Al-Azzam turned to the internet to earn some money after high school, according to his social media. He tried selling clothes and home goods on Facebook, and offered car washing services.
The police said he was also exploring the world of pedophile hunting.
Court documents show Mr. Al-Azzam first came to law enforcement’s attention when he called 911 to report on one of his targets, using the name “JUUJIKA.” (Mr. Al-Azzam appeared to take the name from a Japanese comic book about revenge killings.) Mr. Al-Azzam didn’t wear a mask when he met a responding officer, and told him to “check out his page,” the police said in an affidavit. Video of the interaction was later posted to the realjuujika Instagram account.
Nineteen days after his meeting with police officers, Mr. Al-Azzam allegedly beat the elderly man in his home. Mr. Al-Azzam’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment about the videos or the charges his client is facing for the attack, including kidnapping, aggravated assault and robbery.
Shortly before Mr. Al-Azzam’s arrest, a post on a realjuujika account used by Mr. Al-Azzam said he was participating in a Kick livestream interview. On the stream, reviewed by The Times, realjuujika hid his face and explained how he had become a pedophile hunter, while showing footage from the attack. He said that he was like an “unfiltered” version of Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, a content creator with more than 1.5 billion video views on YouTube.
Since last year, Mr. Zdorovetskiy has produced a series of pedophile hunter videos streamed live on Kick. In his first, shot over the course of a single night, he and his team restrain four separate men he accuses of being predators, and force one man to get on his knees and bark like a dog.
Mr. Zdorovetskiy became more extravagant with each stream. He started one by arriving in a helicopter, dressed as the Joker from the Batman comics. In another, his entourage taunted a target using a live alligator, with the help of a professional handler. The group did not attack that particular target, and he was later arrested and charged with traveling to meet a minor. The case was dropped a month later, court records show.
Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, via Kick
“Vigilantism is almost by definition spectacular. It’s a punishment show,” said Laurent Gayer, a senior research professor at the Center for International Studies in Paris who has studied extrajudicial justice. Mr. Gayer and other experts said that throughout history, vigilantes have used theatrics to build an audience that supports their controversial actions.
Mr. Zdorovetskiy did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Macdonald from Kick said the platform had no involvement in Mr. Zdorovetskiy’s videos, and its moderation team had banned him twice last year for violating its terms of service.
The bans were short-lived, and Mr. Zdorovetskiy was able to stream throughout the year. His content has one of the largest viewerships among pedophile hunters. According to data from the analytics website Streams Charts, his most popular pedophile hunting Kick stream had nearly 82,000 people watching live in May. Clips from his streams are often reshared on other platforms and accumulate millions of views.
Mr. Zdorovetskiy has frequently brought guest stars from the world of music and podcasting to his livestreams. The singer Akon performed his hit “Locked Up” in a stream after Mr. Zdorovetskiy confronted a target and threw him to the ground. Police later arrived and arrested the target; court documents show he is facing two charges in California.
Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, via Kick
Right-wing figures also collaborated with Mr. Zdorovetskiy. Adin Ross, a popular internet personality, guest-starred in three videos, including one where Mr. Ross yelled at a target as Mr. Zdorovetskiy and his entourage tackled and choked the man on a Miami street. Later in the livestream, the police detained the man who had been attacked.
Like Mr. Zdorovetskiy, many pedophile hunters have built their own brands in order to market their videos. “These are violent entrepreneurs in the most literal kind of way. They have their little enterprise with its own logo, its own style,” Mr. Gayer said.
A review of realjuujika’s posts showed that Mr. Al-Azzam had tried to become an influencer, too. His audience cheered on his violent activity and called him a real-life Batman. He provided ways for his thousands of followers to donate to his cause, and inspired a copycat group that called itself “Juujika Gang” and made its own videos while attacking people.
In one of the final realjuujika videos, Mr. Al-Azzam, holding a hammer and wearing the same disguise he used during his attacks, recited a list of his motivations that echoed conspiracy theories popular in right-wing circles. He said the government was protecting “sick-minded people” and that presidents had sexually assaulted children. He asked for support from Mr. Ross and Andrew Tate, an online influencer known for his misogynistic views, who is facing criminal charges for sexual misconduct.
To his viewers, he called for action: “You guys need to stand up and get shit done.”
Dads Against Predators and other pedophile hunters offer different payment options for their content on Locals.
A Supportive Ecosystem
Pedophile hunters once had a restrained presence online, navigating the rules and regulations of mainstream websites to avoid being banned. Many lost their accounts in August 2022, when YouTube updated its policies to remove their videos unless law enforcement was involved in their operations.
Within months, however, the content found a new home on social media platforms known for their loose moderation like Rumble, Locals and Kick. They also grew an audience on X after Elon Musk bought it, and promised “maximum free speech under the law.”
Rumble, Locals and Kick have become “free speech” alternatives to their mainstream counterparts: YouTube, Patreon and Twitch.
These platforms gained prominence in recent years, after sustained right-wing outrage over claims of online censorship. Locals was founded after a right-wing personality was banned by its mainstream competitor Patreon for using a racial slur. Rumble, which acquired Locals in 2021, has been backed by prominent conservative figures. Before Vice President JD Vance became a senator in 2023, his venture capital fund was a major investor in the company. His office did not respond when asked if he still had an investment in Rumble.
After YouTube’s new policy restricting pedophile hunter videos, Locals helped some of the affected creators join its site and promote their content, according to three hunters who spoke to The Times.
“They encourage our movement to expose child predators and keep close contact with me about improving the use of their platform,” said Courtney ElizXbeth, a pedophile hunter who says she does not use violence, and goes by a pseudonym for her own safety.
On its “discover” page, Locals features Dads Against Predators and other pedophile hunters as top accounts.
Stake, the multi-billion dollar gambling site whose founders also created Kick, gave Mr. Zdorovetskiy a sponsorship deal for his content. His popular pedophile hunting livestreams on Kick, including many of the violent videos, displayed ads from Stake and often featured him gambling on the site live while targeting alleged predators.
Mr. Zdorovetskiy’s promotional material for his pedophile hunter videos often included the logo of Stake, a multi-billion dollar gambling company.
A Stake spokeswoman confirmed that the site had a commercial agreement with Mr. Zdorovetskiy, but declined to share specific details about it. She said the site was not involved in Mr. Zdorovetskiy’s content decisions.
Many of the groups still cross-publish their content on mainstream platforms. “By maintaining a presence on various platforms, ‘pedo hunter’ groups ensure their continued visibility even if one platform restricts or bans their accounts,” said Ms. Hussey, the criminologist who studied pedophile hunters. “This strategy is crucial for maintaining their audience and influence.”
Viewers cheered and encouraged violence in a May video by Mr. Zdorovetskiy, where a target was knocked unconscious by a passerby.
“Gotten Out of Hand”
Before Dads Against Predators, also known as DAP, became routinely violent, authorities in Ohio attempted to stop the group.
“Local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors of Sandusky County and the City of Fremont cannot and will not sit back anymore and watch as DAP continues to parade its form of vigilante justice,” said a statement signed by eight local officials in October 2020. They said the group was creating dangerous situations in public settings and that its actions could interfere with criminal prosecutions.
“The situation has gotten out of hand,” they wrote, threatening to prosecute the group if it continued.
Dads Against Predators slowed down its activities in Sandusky County, but ramped up its pedophile hunting in other areas and became one of the most prolific, violent groups in the country. Sandusky officials did not charge the group for its past actions.
Four years later, Mr. Mundy was arrested in the county for vehicular vandalism after he kicked a car during a confrontation. He was released on bail shortly afterward and continued to publish videos on Locals.
Similar scenarios have played out with other pedophile hunters across the country. In some cases, local officials did not charge them because the people who were attacked declined to press charges or never alerted law enforcement. In others, authorities themselves chose not to pursue charges.
Of the 22 violent groups and individuals identified by The Times, only seven appear to have been criminally charged for their actions, according to a review of police and court records.
Students who allegedly helped orchestrate the pedophile hunting at Assumption University are facing felony kidnapping and conspiracy charges. One of those students was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Students at Salisbury University were originally arrested on felony assault and hate crime charges, but most had their charges dropped or reduced to misdemeanor assault and false imprisonment.
Mr. Al-Azzam is facing more than 20 charges across multiple states and is being held on $1 million bail in Pennsylvania. His trial is pending.
But the criminal justice system has not deterred some of the largest groups.
Mr. Carnicom of Dads Against Predators and four other men were charged with a felony offense in Texas for chasing a man in a parking lot and beating him while he was on the ground in September. The attack was livestreamed on Kick. Mr. Carnicom left Texas before charges were filed and has continued to post videos on Locals.
The Texas video was subsequently removed by the Kick moderation team, according to Mr. Macdonald. Clips of the video continued to be reposted and shared on other platforms.
Mr. Zdorovetskiy does not appear to have been criminally charged for the violence in his Kick livestreams. One person targeted by Mr. Zdorovetskiy filed a lawsuit against him, which was later dropped, and another threatened legal action on social media but never followed through. After that, Mr. Zdorovetskiy’s pedophile hunting content grew more extreme.
In November and December, he put his targets through a humiliating game show. He offered to let them leave and not call the police if they made it through a series of painful tests. He hooked people up to an electric nerve stimulator, told them to walk barefoot through dozens of mousetraps and appeared to tattoo the word “predator” on a man’s arm.
Viewers cheered the violence on in their comments and suggested new methods of torture. One viewer suggested putting chili powder in a man’s eyes and another wanted him to drink urine. Many repeated, “Kill him.”
Mr. Zdorovetskiy hasn’t posted pedophile hunter content in 2025, but earlier this month, he assured his followers on X that the livestreams would return, “bigger than ever.”
