ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.12.07 10:46
A Tik Tok influencer has been fined for teeing off a cliff in the Grand Canyon, one of America’s leading national parks.
The New York Times (NYT) said on the 5th (local time) that Katie Sigmond (20), who has close to 7 million followers on Tik Tok for videos in fields such as exercise and modeling, will pay a fine to the Arizona federal prosecutor. reported to have agreed.
Sigmond posted the video on TikTok in late October after teeing off the cliffs of the Grand Canyon.
The video shows Sigmond throwing not only a golf ball but also a golf club into the gorge after taking a swing.
Mr. Sigmond looked surprised that the golf club slipped out of his hand unintentionally, and added a comment to the video saying, “How did this happen?”
Sigmond’s actions immediately drew public criticism.
In particular, after posting Sigmond’s tee shot on the park’s Instagram account, the Grand Canyon National Park criticized, “Do we need to be careful not to hit the tee under the canyon?”
In the end, Sigmond turned himself in to the Grand Canyon Park Police, was questioned, and was subsequently charged with creating an unsafe environment for his violent behavior in the canyon.
Sigmond agreed to pay a fine in lieu of being taken to court, but the amount was not disclosed.
“The act of dropping objects from cliffs is illegal and endangers pedestrians and wildlife that pass under the canyon,” Grand Canyon Park officials said.