A 23-year-old tourist from New York City was arrested Friday in Hawaii for violating the state's mandatory 14-day quarantine rule and for "unsworn falsification to authority."
Tarique Peters, according to the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, arrived in O'ahu on Monday and quickly posted numerous pictures of himself on the beach on Instagram.
He allegedly left his hotel room the day he arrived and traveled to various places using public transportation, officials said.
Citizens alerted local authorities to Peters' social media postings, which showed him on the beach with a surfboard, sunbathing and walking around Waikiki.
“We appreciate the assistance of local people who spot flagrant violations of our emergency rules on various social media sites and report them to the appropriate authorities," Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors said in a statement Friday night.
Officials said the hotel told them Peters was seen leaving his room and the hotel on numerous occasions this week.
Peters, who is from the Bronx, was arrested Friday and his bail is set at $4,000.
Hawaii has only 638 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, with at least 17 deaths.
