A petition calling to charge Jake Paul for driving on the beach during turtle nesting season has over 70,000 signatures

• A petition demanding the Puerto Rican government charge YouTuber Jake Paul with a crime went viral.
• The controversial YouTuber filmed himself driving on a beach during turtle nesting season.
• Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources said they are investigating.

A petition urging the Puerto Rican government to charge controversial YouTuber Jake Paul with a crime has over 70,000 signatures.

Videos posted to Paul's Instagram story of himself and his entourage driving on a Puerto Rican beach during turtle nesting season were widely shared across social media earlier this month.

Puerto Rican beaches are known to be nesting spots for sea turtles between February and August, with parts of the beaches sectioned off to make sure the turtle eggs hatch safely. Sea turtles are an endangered species, and conservation efforts in Puerto Rico have been made to reduce threats to their habitats.

It's unclear which beach Paul was driving on and what protection laws are applied there.

"Given the YouTuber's internet popularity, it's especially important he is held accountable for this action," the petition's statement read. "If he is not, many of his fans will get the same idea and mimic his total disregard for endangered species."

Paul was immediately met with backlash for his behavior and potentially putting an endangered species in harm's way. One person tweeted out the video with the caption, "One would like to be calm and then comes across this video of Jake Paul destroying our beaches."

After the video of Paul driving on the beach was widely shared, Puerto Rico's secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources released a statement regarding the video.

"I have ordered an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the use of two motor vehicles on beaches that are presumed to be in Puerto Rico," Rafael Machargo wrote. "Some media have published today a video of the influencer Jake Paul in a motor vehicle on the beach, an activity that is prohibited, apart from law enforcement agencies."

The petition organizers acknowledged the wildlife authorities' investigation and wrote they made the petition to "be sure he doesn't get away with it just because he's famous."

According to Def Noodles, an influencer watchdog account on social media, Paul's older brother, Logan, responded to the controversy in a restricted post through his Maverick Club Network.

"I don't feel like making a big deal out of this on my public socials," Logan wrote. "I'm so f---ing tired of the media and ignorant, angry losers trying to pick on Jake and I. Jake got 'backlash' for LEGALLY driving a LEGAL electric golf cart on a private beach here in Dorado. Where it is LEGAL."

Logan said his boxing coach, Milton Lacroix, spoke with the beach security and got the okay. "It's just mad annoying people make assumptions, get their headlines, and try to f--- with us," he ended the post by saying.