Authorities in Oregon were investigating the collapse of an iconic sandstone formation after video posted on Twitter showed state park visitors appearing to destroy it.
The department initially believed the formation's collapse was natural, saying in a Sept. 1 Facebook post that visitors were fortunate that no one was injured and that the event should serve "as a sobering reminder of the ever present dangers of our fragile coastal rocks and cliffs."
Then department officials saw a video that had been posted on Aug. 29 by David Kalas. Kalas, 19, had visited Cape Kiwanda Natural Area earlier that day with two friends, including an aspiring videographer who brought a drone along to capture the coast's scenery.
From a football field away they saw a group of eight to 10 people gather around the formation, known as Duckbill, Kalas told NBC News.
"They were trying to push it over," he said. "We thought nothing of it. It's sturdy. It's not going to break." Once the formation began wobbling, Kalas said, he and his friends sprinted over and confronted the group.
"They said one of their friends had broken their legs," he said, adding that the group described it as a "giant safety hazard." He said the group claimed that "they did a favor by knocking the rock down."
The formation was perched behind a fence in an area the parks department pleaded with visitors not to cross: Since 2009, seven people have died when the park's sandstone cliffs crumbled and they fell into the ocean or onto rocks.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oregon-authorities-investigating-collapse-iconic-rock-formation-n643101tldr: guy recorded and reported group of jackasses destroying local natural landmark
