Nicki Minaj and her family had quite the night on Monday (June 5) – and not in a good way. The hip-hop artist was at her Los Angeles home with her husband, Kenneth Petty, and 2-year-old son, Papa Bear, when an unidentified person called child protective services and alleged child abuse inside the home.
Police arrived around 6 p.m. on Monday and immediately asked to see the baby to ensure everything was okay. A brief welfare check determined there were no signs of abuse and authorities later attributed it as a ‘swatting’ attempt – when someone prank calls emergency services to elicit an exaggerated response.
The family went about their business after police officers left, but were disturbed yet again when someone called 911 and reported a house fire at their address. The call came in around 3 a.m. on Tuesday (June 6) – just nine hours after the first ‘swatting’ attempt. When first responders arrived, the house wasn’t on fire.
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According to TMZ, the 40-year-old ‘Super Freaky Girl’ artist isn’t letting the incident slide and will likely pursue criminal charges against the individual(s) who made the prank calls. “We’re told she’s hired lawyers to make sure the people behind this swatting are exposed and held accountable,” says TMZ.
Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty went Instagram official on December 2018, but they have a long history that dates back to their teenage years – before she became famous. They originally started dating when she was 16 years old and she describes him as one of her ‘first loves,’ but they lost touch for decades.
They married on October 21, 2019 – roughly one year after going Instagram official – and welcomed their first (and only, so far) child together a year later on September 30, 2020. There was a lot of speculation over the little boy’s name and she kept it a secret for a long time, but eventually revealed it – Papa Bear.
Minaj’s relationship with Petty has been scrutinized over the past few years due to his rape conviction in 1995 and first-degree manslaughter conviction in 2006 – stemming from a 2002 incident where he shot and killed a man. In July 2022, he was found guilty of failing to register as a sex offender in Los Angeles.
Nicki Minaj Isn’t the First Celebrity to be ‘Swatted’
While Nicki Minaj is the latest celebrity to be ‘swatted,’ she’s certainly not the first and, unfortunately, won’t be the last. In fact, celebrities have been victims of ‘swatting’ for years, including recently – when live streamer Adin Ross and singer Madison Beer dealt with similar ‘swatting’ calls.
no way Adin Ross is getting swatted rn???? pic.twitter.com/VtnKK1jqZu
— . (@OmenWorlddd) November 10, 2022
Other celebrities to be ‘swatted’ include Chris Brown, Miley Cyrus, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, the Kardashian family, Tom Cruise, Corey Feldman, Rihanna, Paris Hilton, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Russell Brand, Clint Eastwood, Simon Cowell, and Ryan Seacrest – among more.
#FBI Pittsburgh statement on the swatting calls today. If you receive a swatting threat or information that an individual is planning to engage in swatting, report it to local law enforcement and the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI immediately. pic.twitter.com/Oau5AzIi0d
— FBI Pittsburgh (@FBIPittsburgh) March 29, 2023
The FBI has been aware of this problem for more than 15 years – originally discussing the trend back in February 2008. In the report, they noted how ‘dangerous’ these phone calls are – not only to the victims, but the first responders who investigate them. Now 15 years later, we’re still dealing with the same issue.
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“The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies. And the officers are placed in danger as unsuspecting residents may try to defend themselves,” the FBI wrote in 2008.
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