Etika, real name Desmond Amofah, was reported missing six days ago and many of his belongings were found on Manhattan Bridge on Monday.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed he had been found dead this evening.
They tweeted: “We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased.”
The city’s medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
NYPD said they had found a body in the East River just half a mile from where the YouTube star’s belongings were left.
Police said the last time anyone heard from Etika was on Wednesday at around 8pm by phone, reports NY Post.
Before that, he had uploaded an eight-minute video on his YouTube page titled, I’m sorry.
In the video, the star apologised for pushing people away and confirmed he suffered from mental illness.
He also talked about social media, advising “caution” around using it too much.
“It can give you an image of what you want your life to be and get blown completely out of proportion,” he said. “It consumed me.”
The original video was removed from YouTube.
Erika had 321,000 followers on Twitter, along with 252,000 fans on Instagram.
He found social media fame for his online gaming videos.
Tributes have flooded in for the YouTube sensation with one writing on Twitter: “RIP Etika I can’t believe this is real. I actually met him at an anime convention he was a cool guy with great energy.”
Another said: “Etika thank you for all you have done for us all you’ll be remembered as one of the best youtubers we got. Rest In Peace JoyConGod #JOYCONBOYZ.”
A third wrote: “Etika was probably my favorite stream/youtuber I always wanted to meet him, it’s a shame it had to be this way #RIP I’ll miss you bro.”
One person commented: “RIP Etika, I loved watching your video’s and livestreams brother… We will not forget your legacy, we will not forget you and we will for always be the JoyconBoyz!!! Rest in peace once again brother.”
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or visit a local Samaritans branch.