A California teenager says a three-word Instagram comment turned his life upside down after social media users wrongly identified him as the man seen brutally kicking a sea lion in a viral video — sparking death threats, doxxing and a wave of online harassment.

Ryland Cuttitta, 18, said he has no connection to the shocking July 22 attack at La Jolla Cove, which remains under investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a possible violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

“My name is Ryland Cuttitta, and I was not part of the video. I was not even there or associated with it in any way. It all came from an Instagram comment,” he told NBC San Diego.

The case stems from a disturbing viral clip that showed a young man repeatedly kicking a sea lion resting on a low concrete wall at Point La Jolla before chasing the frightened animal as bystanders laughed.

The footage drew widespread outrage online, prompted a federal investigation and condemnation from animal welfare groups, including PETA.

But as internet users searched for the suspect’s identity, Cuttitta claimed a sarcastic comment he left beneath a repost of the video was interpreted as a confession.

Cuttitta posted the words “clearly self-defense,” intending to mock the attacker. Instead, other users allegedly concluded he was admitting to being the person in the video.

His mother, Susan Cuttitta, said she initially watched the footage without recognizing the person shown.

“‘Oh my gosh’, how horrible that there’s this person that’s abusing this animal, that was my gut reaction, and then I moved on to the next story because I didn’t recognize the person,” she told NBC.

That changed when her son called to say strangers online had begun accusing him of carrying out the attack.

“I went, ‘What? How are you being associated with it?’ Well, I made a comment, and I think some folks took my comment as me being the person in the video,” she told the outlet.

The misunderstanding quickly spiraled, the family said.

Their home address was posted online and they began receiving violent and obscene messages, including death threats left in voicemail messages shared with the station, according to the local affiliate.

Susan Cuttitta insisted her son was nowhere near La Jolla when the assault occurred.

“It was not my son. He wasn’t there. He was not even 10 miles from the La Jolla incident, and I thought I just need to protect him and my daughters. They are minor children,” she added.

Ryland also pointed to obvious differences between himself and the suspect captured on video.

“Obviously in the video you can see that the kid is blonde with a buzz cut. My hair is dark and longer than that,” he said.

“It wasn’t me in the video. I would never do anything like that. It was a very disturbing video.”

NBC San Diego reported that the family has filed an online report with the San Diego Police Department regarding the threats and has also spoken with the NOAA investigator leading the animal abuse case.

The teen said he has since made his Instagram account private in an attempt to stop the abuse.

“It’s just crazy so many people can see one thing on social media, and just believe it,” he said. “No one knew what I looked like. I put my account on private so I wouldn’t get harassed.”

His mother said the ordeal has highlighted the dangers of online vigilante justice.

“He’s always done the right thing, and he made a comment. That’s a lesson we will be talking about and continue to talk about,” she said. “Maybe this is advocacy work on our part to now spread the word about the dangers of social media.”

Meanwhile, federal investigators are continuing efforts to identify the person who actually assaulted the protected marine mammal.

The Cuttitta family hope whoever carried out the attack is found and held accountable, while clearing Ryland’s name after what they say was a devastating case of mistaken identity.

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