The Cape Kiwanda sandstone pedestal, a beloved formation on the Oregon Coast, appears to have been toppled intentionally in a video captured by another visitor.

Warning: The video that accompanies this post contains explicit language.

David Kalas of Hillsboro said he was nearby with two friends on Monday evening when he saw another group of people he didn't know trying to topple the pedestal.

"I kind of laughed to myself," Kalas said. "I thought there was no way that they could knock it down, but then I noticed that it started wobbling."

That's when Kalas said he started filming. After the pedestal fell over, Kalas said he and his friends confronted the group. They told him they knocked it over because a friend had broken their leg on it, calling it a "safety hazard," Kalas said.

Reports spread this week that the sandstone pedestal, popular among visitors who often climbed it for pictures, had collapsed. It was located in a part of Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area that is technically off-limits after six people died on the nearby cliffs over the last two years.

The collapsed sandstone pedestal at Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon coast.

Park official told the Salem Statesman Journal they didn't believe it was knocked over intentionally. Kalas said he wanted to report what he saw to authorities but didn't know how to contact them.

"At the time, I didn't know how big of a deal it was," he said.

Park officials did not immediately return an inquiry Sunday evening.

It's not clear whether toppling the formation would be a crime. The incident is reminiscent of one in which two former Boy Scout leaders intentionally toppled a formation in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park in 2014. A judge sentenced those men to a year of probation and more than $2,000 in fines.

Instagram users are remembering the pedestal with the hashtag #ripthepnwrock.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus

Jamie Hale contributed to this report.