STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.

-- A native Staten Islander's video, which he says shows disparate reactions to the same behavior by two men -- actors playing "an Islamic and a Christian terrorist" -- has sparked a controversy after it was uploaded to YouTube a day after the shootings in Orlando, Fla.

The social experiment video by Joseph Saladino, who is known online by the alter-ego Joey Salads, records people reacting when a man dressed in a thawb and a head scarf runs past them yelling "Allah Akbar" and throws a silver case in their direction. Saladino then tries the same thing, this time dressed in a T-shirt and saying "Praise Jesus."

The video, which was filmed at various Island locations, including the Staten Island Mall and a Staten Island Railway station, is meant to show different reactions to a similar situation.

However, Saladino's social experiment has backfired online, sparking criticism of the video as well as his decision to post it Monday -- only a day after the Orlando attack.

"You are a disgusting human being," Kevin Villa posted in the comments section of the video, which had been watched more than 685,000 times as of Wednesday afternoon.

"It's just too far. Joe Salads needs to be kicked off YouTube," said AklimetoXD.

Others commented that Saladino was trying to use the Orlando attack to his advantage by tagging the video "Orlando shooting," "Orlando gay club" and "Orlando massacre" in an attempt to attract views.

Saladino has responded to the criticism by posting on the video: "Seems people are disliking before understanding the concept of this video.

"This video shouldn't offend anyone, it simply opens up a dialogue to a tragedy, This video will raise questions to why certain things happen, watch the

WHOLE

video to understand."

The controversy has even spilled over onto Twitter, where Saladino said he has received "death threats" over the video and was "punched in the face."

But Saladino defended the experiment on Twitter, saying he had the video filmed for more than a month, but decided to release it after the Orlando attack because, "People don't seem to fear Christianity compared to radical Islam so I wanted to open up the dialogue and get people talking where does the problem lie."

EXPLAINED, TERRORISM SOCIAL EXPERIMENT https://t.co/ZVv1gF3qnd — Joey Salads (@JoeySalads) June 13, 2016

Saladino has since said that he will donate any money made from the video to the victims and the families of the Orlando shootings.

Saladino, a St. Joseph by-the-Sea graduate who grew up in Prince's Bay, recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a social media personality.

Last year, he told the Advance that he had found success by shifting the focus of his videos from pranks to addressing societal issues.

"I love making the social experiments," Saladino said. "And I think they have been so successful because they touch on real dangerous topics."

Saladino could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.