Teen says he’s falsely accused in viral sea lion assault video – NBC 7 San Diego

A San Diego mother and her 18-year-old son say he was wrongly identified on social media as the person seen in a viral video assaulting a California sea lion at La Jolla Cove. The video, recorded late July 22 at Point La Jolla, spread widely online after it was reshared on Instagram. The incident is under criminal investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a potential violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. This is a screenshot of the viral video showing the alleged assault on a California sea lion on July 22, 2026. Ryland Cuttitta said he is not the person shown in the video kicking the sea lion. “My name is Ryland Cuttitta and I was not part of the video. I was not even there or associated with it in any way. It all came from an Instagram comment,” Cuttitta said. His mother, Susan Cuttitta, said she was horrified when she first saw the video scrolling through Instagram stories the day after it was posted. “Oh my gosh, how horrible that there’s this person that’s abusing this animal, that was my gut reaction, and then I moved on to the next story because I
Read More