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American tourist leaves soda can behind and gets arrested

byFranco Vandevelde
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04 Apr 2025 08h00
coconut trees on island under blue sky
©Unsplash

A 24-year-old American influencer sailed to the extremely remote island of North Sentinel Island and deliberately left a can of soft drink for the local indigenous tribe, who live completely isolated from the outside world.

This stunt in search of online likes has now cost him dearly. The American tourist was promptly arrested upon his return to the Indian Andaman and Nicobar islands. North Sentinel is home to one of the most isolated tribes in the world, who reject any form of contact with the outside world. Therefore, an entry ban was implemented for the island and the surrounding sea.

The American in his twenties ignored that ban and sailed to the remote tribe on an inflatable raft. He arrived last Saturday and used binoculars to search for signs of life. The American tourist is said to have blown a whistle for almost an hour hoping to attract the attention of the indigenous tribe, but received no response. The influencer then collected samples, made a video, and left behind a can of soft drink and a coconut. These were 'gifts for the Sentinelese tribe,' he told the police. But now there's a consequence to this.

The young man was arrested, and officers confiscated his boat, an outboard motor, and a GoPro containing video footage of his trip to the restricted island. With his visit, he not only endangered himself, as the tribe has previously killed visitors, but also the tribe itself since they are presumably not immune to common diseases such as the flu or measles.

(FVDV - Source: New York Post - Illustrative photo: ©Unsplash)