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PACIFIC GROVE, California (WJW) – Authorities are searching for the man accused of decapitating a California sea lion on a beach this past summer.

Investigators said the incident, partially captured on video, occurred on July 27 at Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove, according to the NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement.

Officials said a white man, believed to be in his 50s or 60s, was seen using a hunting knife to cut off the dead sea lion’s head.

He then “placed the head in a zip-style plastic bag and left the area in a late-model white Cadillac Escalade,” NOAA Fisheries said in a press release on Monday.

According to investigators, the sea lion was already dead prior to incident and it’s unclear how the animal died.

On Monday, NOAA Fisheries shared a photo of the suspect, offering an up to $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest or a criminal conviction in the case.

California sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, meaning harassing, harming, killing or feeding the animals is prohibited.

Anyone who violates the act can face thousands of dollars in fines and, if convicted criminally, up to a year in prison per violation, officials said.

Anyone with information should reach out to the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964. Tips can remain anonymous.

Anyone who finds a dead, injured or stranded marine mammal in the region is asked to call the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network at (866) 767-6114.