Local Snapchat video has El Pasoans outraged

A recent video on social media that started off as what looks like a prank has gotten a lot of El Pasoans outraged.

The video shows two individuals vandalizing the star on the mountain -appearing to show the two taking some of its light bulbs.

Now the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce has some harsh words for those people.

Several viewers sent the video to our newsroom. The video was recorded off of Snapchat by an ABC-7 viewer.

The video shows two people filming themselves stealing a few light bulbs from the star on the mountain.

The name of the user appears to be covered and we’re not sure when the video was taken but you can clearly see a man and a woman removing the light bulbs from the star.

In the video you can also see they wore special gloves to handle what could be the heat from the light bulbs.

Those ABC-7 spoke with think something should be done.

“I don’t think that was a joke and I think the person should be responsible for what he did. That’s a main attraction here in El Paso and I don’t think it’s something to joke about and once you let something like that go, people are just going to do what they want and think they can get away with everything,” El Paso resident Yolanda Vasquez said.

And possibly adding insult to injury, the individual also posted a picture showing that they put those light bulbs in their own home with an El Paso-style logo showing the star on the mountain.

“I just think it’s disrespectful because this is pretty much one of the well-known parts here in El Paso and honestly I just think it’s a bad idea,” El Paso resident Marc Martin said.

ABC-7 spoke with Richard Dayoub, the president of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, the organization that maintains the star.

“This is arrogance and stupidity,” Dayoub said. “The star is an icon for the community. This is a theft and trespassing that affects taxpayers and we will prosecute to the full extent of the law.”

Dayoub also tells ABC-7 they have cameras in the area and they will be looking at the video.

Note: Photo of Star on the Mountain used in broadcast courtesy of Ray Chiarello Photography not Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce.