Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources are investigating a video of YouTube stars Jake and Logan Paul driving on the beach during sea turtle nesting season.
Update May 15
Puerto Rico has opened an investigation on the Paul brothers to see if there was any wrong-doing after videos of them driving on a beach surfaced.
The branch of government responsible for protecting Puerto Rico’s natural and environmental resources have responded to a wave of outrage targeted at Jake and Logan.
Here’s the statement about the ongoing investigation and why it is prohibited to use and drive a motorized vehicle on a beach in Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/EEvjKc8kIq
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) May 14, 2021
Sea Turtles are federally protected animals, and the country has many restrictions on some beaches in Puerto Rico during nesting season.
Original story follows below
Earlier this year, Logan Paul announced he was moving from sunny Southern California to live in the Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico.
Claiming he wanted to get away from the bustle of the big city — as well as tax reasons — the elder Paul brother has now made his home in the island, but not everyone is pleased about this move.
Paul almost immediately got backlash for making his home in PR, but he isn’t alone in his decision to relocate; little brother Jake Paul claimed he was moving to Miami around the same time, and it seems the two have gotten up to some shenanigans in the Caribbean that are making some viewers fume.
In mid-may, Jake Paul uploaded a video to his Instagram stories that showed himself driving what appears to be a golf cart down a beach, with a sticker on the video showing that he was in Puerto Rico at the time.
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Once the video circulated the net, many users expressed outrage that he was driving on the beach, noting that it is currently sea turtle nesting season.
From February to August, several different species of sea turtle lay their eggs on the beach, including Leatherbacks, Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill turtles — meaning that anyone driving a vehicle over the sands at breakneck speeds could run the risk of damaging the eggs.
Uno queriendo estar tranquilo y se encuentra con este video de Jake Paul destruyendo nuestras playas. #JakePaulGoHome pic.twitter.com/BiAhOCt7W3
— Robinson Camacho Rodríguez (@RobiCamacho) May 13, 2021
“THIS IS WHAT FRUSTRATES US THE MOST,” one angry Twitter user wrote about the situation. “THEY TREAT THE WHOLE ISLAND LIKE A RESORT. WHITE PEOPLE DESTROY OUR ECOSYSTEM. TAKE OUR LANDS. TAKE OUR MONEY.”
https://twitter.com/eilishvato/status/1392916849642377231
“We were all brought up in PR to never drive on the beach like this, but I guess if you are a rich American, you can trample on our resources as you have been for 123 years,” another said of the scandal.
American colonialism at its best. We were all brought up in PR to never drive on the beach like this but I guess if you are a rich American you can trample on our resources as you have been for 123 years. @LoganPaul and his brother @jakepaul are #scum #PuertoRico https://t.co/qeiP163uwQ
— Jorge Sermini (@sermini) May 13, 2021
Thus far, the “Problem Child” and his brother — who is suspected to be driving the other vehicle in the video, though this is not confirmed — have yet to comment on the issue.