NEW TAIPEI — Jacob Pugmire, 27, was referred to the Keelung District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, July 22, on suspicion of unlawfully entering a building after police found a video online showing him inside the Remains of the 13 Levels (十三層遺址), SETN reported on Saturday, Aug. 22, citing police. No charges have yet been filed.
Commenters on his Facebook page accused him of disrespecting Taiwan and told him to leave the country, FTV reported on Sunday, Aug. 23.
“I have made mistakes, and I am willing to admit them, take responsibility and improve,” Pugmire wrote in reply, according to FTV. “I can take responsibility for my own mistakes, but I do not accept two incidents defining everything I have done in Taiwan over all these years.” He added: “I am just a very curious person.”
News coverage has consistently identified him by nationality first. Reports including those by SETN, FTV, Mirror Daily and NextApple refer to him in the headline as an “American” or “U.S.” influencer or streamer.
NextApple, which broke the story after a member of the public contacted the outlet, reported that Pugmire entered the site “with friends.”
The ruins are among the most photographed landmarks on the northeast coast, according to the
Pugmire has argued that his online visibility, not his conduct, is what sets him apart.
Some commenters defended him. Mirror Daily quoted supporters writing that “a few extreme voices criticize without understanding and blow things out of proportion.”
Police told SETN the site, officially the former Shuinandong smelter (水湳洞選煉廠遺址), is a registered historic building and a listed soil and groundwater pollution control site where arsenic, mercury, copper, nickel, lead and zinc have been found, and that its structures are badly weathered and at risk of collapse. Police said they notified the site’s manager, the state-owned utility Taiwan Power Co. (台電), and sent Pugmire a notice to come in and explain, but he did not appear. Entering a listed pollution control site can carry a fine of up to NT$500,000 under the Soil and Groundwater Pollution Remediation Act, police said.
Police urged the public not to enter closed or restricted areas “out of curiosity, or to film videos.” NextApple reported that Taipower has since added eight bilingual warning signs.
Pugmire continues to post from Taiwan and has said he is visiting all 368 of Taiwan’s townships and districts.
