SEATTLE — The Washington man at the center of a now viral video, showing him allegedly throwing a rock at a seal, made his first appearance in federal court Thursday.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk was released on a personal recognizance bond as he awaits his next court appearance in Hawaii.
The incident occurred last Tuesday in Hawaii. Prosecutors say Lytvynchuk hurled a large rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, known as Lani. The rock narrowly missed, but court documents state it caused the animal to “abruptly alter its behavior,” swimming away and then reportedly not moving for a long time.
Lytvynchuk faces charges of violating both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Witnesses to the incident reported that Lani was playing with a log and was “clearly not aggressive” before the rock was thrown.
Kaylee Schnitzer, a Maui resident and witness who can heard screaming in the viral video, described the rock’s size and target.
“It was the size of a coconut,” she said. “He threw it right, directly aiming toward the monk seal’s head.”
She further detailed the seal’s condition after the event.
“It laid on a rock and its head in the water and its tail in the water, belly up, just laying there,” Schnitzer said.
Witnesses also reported that when they informed Lytvynchuk they had reported him to authorities, he allegedly responded that he “didn’t care” and was “rich enough to pay any fines.”
Amanda Rosbrook Das, a concerned citizen and animal advocate, attended the court proceedings in Seattle, stating she was outraged by the incident.
“Aside from it being an endangered species, to hurt any living being, to be a bigger, more powerful person and hurt another living being and think you can buy yourself out of it, or morals are beneath you is outrageous,” Das said.
She says she found the act itself incomprehensible.
“To blatantly just for fun throw a rock at this animal’s head, it’s just… it’s mindblowing to me," Das added.
Lytvynchuk could face tens of thousands of dollars in civil and criminal fines. He’s also looking at a maximum of one year imprisonment for each charge.
Das expressed her disappointment with the decision to release him Thursday.
“I’m not happy,” she said. “I mean, the fact that he wasn’t in handcuffs, he’s walking out a free man and actually going back to Hawaii in a couple weeks, I don’t feel like that’s punishment enough.”
Loved ones of Lytvynchuk were present in court to support him, but declined to comment on the case.
Lytvynchuk’s next court appearance is scheduled to take place in Hawaii later this month.
©2026 Cox Media Group
