A tourist who threw a huge rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal in Maui boasted that he didn’t care about the consequences because he’s “rich” — before he was detained over the attack.

The man was filmed lifting a large rock from a beach and throwing it towards an endangered seal as it swam off the Lahaina shoreline last Tuesday, narrowly missing the animal’s head.

Kaylee Schnitzer, who filmed the video, can be heard yelling at the man: “What are you doing? Why would you throw a rock at it?”

She later told KHON 2: “We told him that we called the cops, and he was like, ‘I don’t care. Fine me, I’m rich.’ He said that, and he kept walking.”

The Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement’s Maui Branch dispatched officers to the beach, where they detained the suspect. Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources said it will not be share the suspect’s identity as he has not been criminally charged at this time. He is understood to be a 37-year-old man from Seattle, Washington.

Hawaiian monk seals are among the most endangered marine mammals in the world. Harassing, injuring or killing one is against both state and federal law, and violators may face fines or criminal penalties. The horrifying incident sparked online outrage and Schnitzer’s video went viral.

The seal, named “Lani,” is beloved by many residents in the area after returning to Lahaina following the 2023 wildfires. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen noted in an Instagram post that both members of his team and locals have “watched over and deeply cared for” Lani since her return.

“Let me be clear, this is not the kind of visitor we welcome on Maui,” Bissen said. “We welcome respectful visitors that understand that our cultural environment and wildlife must be treated with care and aloha. Behavior like this will not be tolerated.”

State officials said the suspect was questioned by authorities and later released after he requested legal counsel.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources said it is investigating the incident and will turn over the findings to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement for possible federal action. The Independent has contacted the department for more information.

During a news conference on Wednesday, the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla said officials have not confirmed whether the seal was harmed by the rock.

Police reminded the public to avoid interactions with the protected species and report harmful behavior to authorities.

The Hilo tsunami clock — a landmark along Kamehameha Avenue at the edge of the Grand Naniloa Golf Course — might find itself with new digs as part of the Waiakea Peninsula revitalization.

State Sen. Lorraine Inouye, a Hilo Democrat, said she secured $200,000 in capital improvement funds to move the iconic clock, which is forever frozen at 1:04 — the time it was damaged and disabled by the early morning tsunami that flattened the sleeping Hilo waterfront on May 23, 1960, killing 61 people.

According to Inouye, the clock’s current location doesn’t maximize its potential as either a historical marker or a tourist attraction.

“Nobody can enjoy it, because you cannot park. And this was such a historical event,” Inouye said.

Inouye added that she’ll be “working in tandem” with the Hawaii Community Development Authority and consultants working on the redevelopment of the peninsula to move the clock.

She said she’d like to move it to a location in the development with parking and encase the memorial “with a good storyboard.”

Cindi Preller, executive director of the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo, said Inouye approached her about moving the clock earlier in the year. Although Preller doesn’t know where the clock might be moved, she’s in support because in its current location, “people can’t stop and park there.”

According to the Pacific Tsunami Museum’s website, the clock was at the Waiakea Social Settlement building at the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Lihiwai Street, a few hundred yards in the Hamakua direction. The clock, which was destroyed along with the Waiakea Social Settlement by the third and largest tsunami wave, was found amongst the rubble, the time of 1:04 on the clock’s face a perpetual reminder of devastating occurrence.

Waiakea Town — once a vibrant community with shops, schools, restaurants and even a movie theater — wasn’t rebuilt.

The clock, which stands as a memorial for those who lost their lives in the 1960 tsunami, is listed on the tsunami museum’s website as the “Waiakea Kai Clock.”

It also has a status and following among a niche group of visitors. The website RoadsideAmerica.com, which markets itself as “your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions,” lists the memorial as “Tsunami Clock of Doom.”

“The clock, on its green metal pole, is now a memorial, standing along a busy thoroughfare in one of the areas of devastation, in front of a golf course. A 20-ft. high wave hit here. The clock’s hands are frozen at that moment: 1:04 a.m.,” the website states.

Email John Burnett at john.burnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on the H-1 Freeway late Friday night.

The Honolulu Fire Department said the fire was reported around 10:40 p.m. on the H-1 eastbound, after the Kinau Street exit.

Witnesses told Hawaii News Now flames rose higher than the concrete barrier separating the eastbound and westbound lanes.

One unit with four personnel responded and quickly brought the fire under control.

The fire was extinguished, and the responding unit was cleared from the scene by 11:22 p.m.

No other details were immediately available.