US agents arrest tourist after video shows a rock hurled at an
endangered Hawaiian monk seal's head
[May 15, 2026]
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and GENE JOHNSON
SEATTLE (AP) — A tourist from Washington state is facing federal charges
after a witness recorded what prosecutors say was a video of him hurling
a coconut-sized rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal just off a Maui
beach last week.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, made arrangements to surrender in the
Seattle area on Wednesday as special agents with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration were seeking to arrest him, Assistant
U.S. Attorney Aislinn Affinito in Honolulu said.
He is charged with harassing and attempting to harass a protected
animal.
Lytvynchuk, who lives in Covington, Washington, was in U.S. District
Court in Seattle on Thursday. A judge ordered him released pending
another court appearance in Honolulu on May 27.
Greg Geist, a federal public defender who represented Lytvynchuk at the
hearing, said Lytvynchuk hired an attorney in Hawaii, whose name was not
immediately listed in the case docket. After the hearing, Geist declined
to acknowledge questions from an Associated Press reporter or identify
the attorney Lytvynchuk hired.
Two supporters who attended the hearing declined to comment.
The video drew widespread condemnation and demands for prosecution in
Hawaii, including from Maui’s mayor.
A state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer last week
investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the
community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023. A
witness showed the officer video of the seal swimming in shallow water
while a man watched from shore.
“In the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock with
one hand, aiming, and throwing it directly at the monk seal,"
prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. The rock, described by a
witness as the size of a coconut, narrowly missed the seal's head, but
caused the “animal to abruptly alter its behavior,” the complaint said.
When a witness confronted the man, he said "he did not care and was
‘rich’ enough to pay any fines," according to the complaint.
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This undated drivers license photo provided by the U.S. District
Court of Hawaii shows Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, from Washington
state, who is accused of throwing a coconut-sized rock at the seal
named "Lani." (U.S. District Court of Hawaii via AP)
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the charges send a clear message that
cruelty toward protected wildlife won't be tolerated. He identified
the seal as “Lani,” a known and beloved character along Lahaina's
waterfront, whose return after the wildfires brought a sense of
healing and hope during a difficult time.
But the state natural resources department said in an email that it
likely was not Lani, as it lacked certain markings.
“Humanity and the instinct to protect what is vulnerable are still
values people can unite around," Bissen said in an emailed
statement.
The mayor said he called the U.S. attorney in Honolulu to advocate
for prosecution.
Lytvynchuk is charged with violations of the Endangered Species Act
and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600
remain in the wild.
If convicted, Lytvynchuk faces up to one year in prison for each
charge. He also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered
Species Act and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act.
___
Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press writer Audrey
McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
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