A California man who filmed two tourists etching their names into the wall of the Colosseum has branded them ‘jerks’ and said he ‘wanted to do something about it’.
Geographer Ryan Lutz, 38, filmed the tourist as he carved the names into the stone walls of the 1,937-year-old landmark using a set of keys.
The man can be seen scratching ‘Ivan + Hayley 23’ into one of the bricks before grinning at the camera.
Lutz exclusively told MailOnline: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw what this jerk was doing to the brickwork.
‘I’m fascinated by history and culture and here was this dumba** defacing it which is a crime and I wanted to do something about it.
Geographer Ryan Lutz, 38, filmed the tourist as he carved the names into the stone walls of the 1,937-year-old building using a set of keys
A bystander filmed the tourist as he carved the names into the stone walls of the 1,937-year-old building using a set of keys. According to the English-speaking man who recorded the footage, the incident happened last Friday on June 23
‘That’s why I took the video and I showed it to the security guard at the site and I pointed the couple out to them.
‘He said there was nothing he could do as he hadn’t actually seen them defacing the wall but he said I should speak with his boss. So I did and he told me the police had been called.
‘That was the last I heard and then I left the Colosseum and carried on with my day. I posted the video in the hope that someone would recognise and identify them and then they will be punished.
‘I think both of them, whoever they are, are idiots and I have a horrible gut feeling these two jerks are American because it’s the sort of thing we have a reputation for doing.
‘But I respect culture and history and I’m grateful to be a visitor to a place like Rome and be hosted by such wonderful people and then two idiots do something like this.
‘They clearly have no shame and when he looked at me in that bizarre way and he just smiled you can hear what I thought of him.
‘I don’t understand what would possess someone to do something like that and I really hope that are caught and punished.’
The couple spoke English, and were likely trying to mirror the date of their visit on June 23 – last Friday.
Lutz’s video was shared on Reddit with the caption: ‘A******e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome’
Lutz exclusively told MailOnline: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw what this jerk was doing to the brickwork’
It appears he carved ‘Ivan + Hayley 23’ into the Colosseum walls
The man carving the walls, who was wearing shorts and a blue T-shirt, grinned into the camera when he realised he was being filmed.
Lutz’s video was shared on Reddit with the caption: ‘A******e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome’.
In the video, Lutz can be heard saying to the other man: ‘Are you serious man? That is f***ed up man. Stupid a******e.’
Other users were quick to comment, sharing their outrage and speculating that the man was called ‘Ivan’ and ‘Hayley’ was his girlfriend.
They also called on the poster to send the video to police, so the vandal could be arrested.
If caught he could face a massive fine which in the past has been up to £17,000. He could even face up to a year of jail time.
In a statement, Italy’s Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano said: ‘I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, a historical heritage such as the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his fiancée.
‘I hope that whoever made this gesture at the Flavian Amphitheatre will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws.’
Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum, told MailOnline: ‘The Carabinieri police are now tracking down this man and we will see if we can get him.
‘When you get uneducated people at the Colosseum this kind of hooliganism happens and I hope there are no copycats.’
A spokesperson for the Carabinieri paramilitary police in Rome added: ‘We have been informed of this incident and are looking to identity the culprit and when he is caught, he will be punished.’
This is not the first time tourists have been fined for vandalising what is believed to be the world’s largest amphitheatre.
In 2020, an Irish tourist was arrested for allegedly carving his initials into the Colosseum.
The Carabinieri police said a 32-year-old man was caught by the Colosseum’s private security and immediately reported to officers.
The man’s two initials, about 2in high, were said to have been carved with a metal point on a pillar of the first floor in September 2020.
The unnamed man was accused of damaging a historical and artistic landmark.
In the video, the English-speaking man filming the footage said to the other: ‘Are you serious man? That is f***ed up man. Stupid a******e.’ Other users were quick to comment, sharing their outrage and speculating that ‘Hayley’ was the man’s girlfriend
In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined £17,000 (€20,000) for carving the letter ‘K’ on a section of brickwork
In January 2017, the Colosseum was vandalised with black spray paint, officials have said
Fines start at £1750 (€2,065), while a sentence could be as much as one year in prison.
Archaeologist Federica Rinaldi, responsible for the ancient Roman amphitheater, said people who carve their initials into the monument want to ‘appropriate’ it.
She added: ‘The Colosseum, like any monument that represents the history of all of us, must be preserved and handed over to future generations.’
The Colosseum, considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world, is a World Heritage Site.
This is along with 54 other Italian sites which comprise the city’s historic centre.
In January 2017, the Colosseum was vandalised with black spray paint, officials have said.
The name ‘Balto’ and the word ‘Morte’ (death) were sprayed onto the pillar overnight.
Two Brazilian men who attempted to climb over a gate into the Colosseum on the same day were apprehended by the authorities when they fell 13 feet (four metres), one fracturing his hip bone.
CCTV was studied to see if they were responsible for the the graffiti.
Francesco Prosperetti, special superintendent for the Colosseum, said: ‘We worry that this could become a game and people could start competing over it.’
In 2015, two American tourists were arrested for carving initials into the Colosseum.
Before they were spotted, the women, 21 and 25, were able to carve a J and an N into a brick wall on the first floor of the west side of the Colosseum.
After carving the 8in-high letters, the women posed together for a selfie.
The women, just two of six million tourists that flock to the Colosseum every year, used a coin to engrave the letters, La Stampa reported.
They are said to have broken away from their tour group – but other tourists saw what had happened and alerted security.
Police charged the women with ‘aggravated damage on building of historical and artistic interest’, according to Repubblica.
After they were caught, the women apologised to Piazza Dante police and Captain Lorenzo Iacobone.
They said: ‘We apologise for what we did. We regret it but we did not imagine it was something so serious. We’ll remember for a lifetime.’
According to The Guardian, the section damaged dates back to the 1800s – a key period of restoration.
A spokesman for the Special Superintendency for the Archaeological Heritage of Rome is quoted as saying: ‘It’s not an original wall but it’s nevertheless antique.’
In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined £17,000 (20,000€) for carving the letter ‘K’ on a section of brickwork.
Construction on the Colosseum began sometime between 70 and 72CE and seated around 50,000 spectators.
They came to watch gladiators in combat with each other and dangerous animals, including lions.
One of the Britons can be seen removing his underwear as the two men frolicked in the water at the foot of Altare della Patria in the Italian capital
Other tourists have repeatedly caused chaos in Rome, like in 2018, when two British tourists stripped and posed for photos in a fountain at one of Rome’s most famous monuments.
One of the Britons can be seen removing his underwear as the two men frolicked in the water at the foot of Altare della Patria in the Italian capital.
Others filmed as the men laughed and jokingly flexed their muscles in front of bemused tourists.
Their antics were captured on camera by a tour guide at the landmark – a monument to war dead that was originally built in honour of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the unified Italy.
In the footage, two men – reported as being British by local media – are seen posing for photos in the fountain wearing only their briefs.
Several people position themselves by the wall, dipping their feet into the water and taking photos.
One of the men then pulls his underwear down and hides his genitals between his legs to pose naked for photos. Numerous visitors walk past the Britons as they continued to misbehave.
The footage caused outrage on social media. One Italian wrote online: ‘English sons of b*****s, always playing up and attention-seeking.’
Local media said at the time that this was yet another assault on Italy’s heritage.
