Penn State students make fake passes, get onto Beaver Stadium field, police say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Penn State students used AI to fabricate media passes and enter Beaver Stadium.
- Police reviewed CCTV and a TikTok, seized fake passes and removed them.
- Both suspects face felony trespass charges, plus misdemeanors.
Jan. 27, 2025 update: Nikola Georgiev was placed into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program Dec. 17 by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall for three years. He was ordered to complete 30 days of community service.
Jyot Sahni was placed into the same program Jan. 14 by Centre County Judge Julia Rater for two years. He was ordered to complete 20 days of community service.
A pair of Penn State students are facing felony charges after being accused of using artificial intelligence to create counterfeit media passes they then used to enter the Beaver Stadium field earlier this month as the Nittany Lions played Indiana.
Nikola Georgiev, 19, and Jyot Sahni, 18, were spotted on the field about 12:20 p.m. by an events specialist who recognized the passes did not match the designated color for the game, university police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
The passes also used a fictitious name, the detective wrote. They were seized and both men were escorted off the field by security.
The investigation began the day after the game when police were alerted of a TikTok that showed Georgiev and Sahni using the counterfeit passes to enter the stadium through the Penn State All-Sports Museum entrance. CCTV footage showed the two exit the media room before walking onto the field through the south tunnel, police wrote.
Georgiev admitted in an interview to creating the passes with AI and printing them at a business the day before the game, police wrote. The detective said Sahni admitted his pass did not display his name and was not assigned to him.
A Penn State spokesman said in an email Friday the university is aware of the charges.
“The allegations will be reviewed by the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response to determine next steps,” Wyatt DuBois wrote. “Separate from the charges filed by police, the university also may take student conduct action.”
Georgiev was charged with felony counts of criminal trespassing, as well as misdemeanor counts of forgery and theft. He waived his preliminary hearing earlier this month. He’s free on $5,000 unsecured bail. Defense lawyer Wayne Bradburn declined comment Friday.
Sahni was charged with felony counts of criminal trespassing and a misdemeanor count of theft. He was arraigned Friday and waived his preliminary hearing. He’s free pending his appearance at future court proceedings. A message left Friday morning with his defense lawyer was not immediately returned.
Georgiev’s formal arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 17, while Sahni’s is scheduled for Dec. 23.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 1:34 PM.