New York man arrested after livestreaming threats to kill Donald Trump Jr.

A New York man has been arrested after posting death threats in the live chat of Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast while simultaneously broadcasting himself making similar threats, according to federal prosecutors.

The charge against James Gerald Eckert Jr., 39, of Rochester, was announced Monday. He is accused of threatening to kill, kidnap or harm a member of the president’s immediate family, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

The threats were reported on June 18 after a U.S. Secret Service agent stationed at Trump Jr.’s residence was alerted to messages in the group chat for his podcast, “Triggered with Donald Trump Jr.”

The messages, posted under an account bearing Eckert’s full name, included: “I’m going to kill you” and “I am going to kill this [expletive] on the screen.”

At the same time, Eckert was allegedly streaming himself on the video platform Rumble while watching the podcast. Prosecutors said he spent much of the roughly eight-minute video making similar threats against Trump Jr. and the chief executive of Rumble.

“I’m still going to [expletive] kill Trump Junior,” Eckert said during the stream, according to the criminal complaint. “Try to get out of this surviving.”

The complaint alleges that Eckert had posted threats against two other elected officials earlier in June. In a June 7 message directed at Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, he threatened the mayor’s family and said the situation would not end “until you are dead.”

Four days later, he allegedly posted “You are going to die” on the official Facebook page of New York State Senator Samra Brouk.

Eckert is under custody pending a detention hearing on July 20. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and Rochester police.