JayStation

ImJayStation/YouTube

YouTuber ImJayStation, also known as Jason Ethier, was arrested on Monday on a charge of assault, according to a statement from Toronto Police given to Insider.

Ethier's assault charge follows a turbulent few weeks for the vlogger, who has been embroiled in controversy since falsely claiming his girlfriend was killed by a drunk driver in January.

Ethier is expected to appear in court at Old City Hall in Toronto on Monday, March 16.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

YouTuber Jason Ethier, known as JayStation to his 5.4 million subscribers, continues to find himself embroiled in controversy and legal troubles. The 29-year-old was arrested on Monday and charged with assault and assault with a weapon, according to a statement from Toronto Police.

Ethier's arrest follows a chaotic few weeks for the YouTube star, whose super-natural themed channel features staged, 3 AM horror videos.

In January, Ethier claimed that Alexia Marano — his girlfriend and partner in their joint YouTube channel Dream Team — had been killed by a drunk driver.

"I never wanted to make a video like this," he said in a now-deleted clip, adding tearfully: "her dream was just to get a million subscribers." In subsequent videos, Ethier visited the supposedly-deceased Marano's memorial and attempted to contact her with a Ouija board.

Suspicious viewers took to Twitter and Reddit to voice their outrage and skepticism surrounding the bizarre videos. "Jaystation is lying about his dead girlfriend," one critic tweeted. "I've spent the entire night browsing and checking with police dept in Toronto and Ottawa. No police reports, no local news agencies and worst of all no family is confirming."

On January 27, several days after the initial post, Ethier uploaded a video confessing that Alexia was alive and the stunt had been a ploy for more Dream Team subscribers. In the 25-minute video titled "ALEXIA MARANO *THE TRUTH ABOUT HER*," Ethier claimed that Alexia was in on the hoax and accusing him of assault with a weapon. The clip featured uniformed officers outside Ethier's apartment, informing him of a warrant issued for his arrest.

Story continues

"Guys i fell in love with this girl, i tried helping her become famous on youtube, she left me without notice, and tried to ruin my life," the vlogger commented on the post.

In response, Marano uploaded a video of her own, titled "ALEXIA IS ALIVE (truth about ImJaystation)." In the 19-minute video, Marano alleged Ethier was "paranoid" and controlling throughout their relationship. She recalled how he read her text messages while she slept and "isolated" her from friends and family. Marano also insisted that she had never wanted to participate in the hoax.

The two vloggers' videos continued to arouse suspicion among viewers. Skeptics on Twitter claimed that the officers shown in Ethier's video were not actually Toronto Police and that Marano's claims of abuse were made in pursuit of more subscribers.

Ethier is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.

Read more:

A YouTube star admitted his girlfriend is still alive after he uploaded fake videos saying she'd been killed by a drunk driver and he had made contact with her spirit via a Ouija board

A YouTuber whose ex-boyfriend faked her death said she never wanted to be a part of the hoax

Inside the rise of Nikocado Avocado, the extreme-eating YouTuber whose meltdown is rocking an online community

Read the original article on Insider