【Esther Moser】

A popular American YouTuber has been given a misdemeanour charge in Thailand,Esther Moser after he posted a viral video of himself placing coins on a railway for trains to run over.

23-year-old Nathan Bartling, popularly known by his channel My Mate Nate, was charged this week with trespassing.

SEE ALSO: Living near YouTube bro Jake Paul seems like hell on earth

The American citizen is fluent in Thai, and first came to Thailand as a missionary for a two-year stint, some four years ago. Later, he started his now-successful YouTube channel, which has over three million subscribers.

Bartling held a press conference on Monday together with the State Railway of Thailand, and Thai police, where he apologised for his actions, reported Khaosod English.

In the video that has since been taken down, he's seen taping coins from different countries to a train track, and inspecting the resultant debris after a train runs them over.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

38 coin imprints were found on the railway tracks where Bartling filmed his video and a Hong Kong 20-cent coin in the area, said Prawet police chief Alongkorn Sirisongkram.

The State Railway of Thailand is also mulling a charge of damages on state property.

For the trespassing charge alone, Bartling faces a paltry 100 baht ($2.90) fine, according to the Bangkok Post.

While that appears to be a minor slap on the wrist, Bartling is in further trouble for a video in which he showed his cats fighting a scorpion. Authorities are investigating the incident now, but haven't formally charged him yet, Khaosodreported. 

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"I could get on a plane and go home right now, but I want my followers to see that I'm not escaping my problems," Bartling told media during the press conference on Monday. "Everyone makes mistakes, but I feel sad that my mistakes are aired out in public.

"This is just a small mistake but I'm surrounded and beat up because of it."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"What's important is he needs to take responsibility for his behaviour and make amends of Thai society," according to Thanongsak Pongprasert, the deputy director of the State Railway of Thailand.

Animal abuse investigation

On June 5, Bartling posted a video of his cats fighting a scorpion.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"Grabbing the camera to film my cats might have been my fault," he said in a video posted five days later. "Letting the cats play with a scorpion is like teaching a child to know what's hot or cold by letting them learn for themselves."

"I didn't have any malicious intent to hurt the cats," he said, adding that he had bought the scorpion which had its stinger removed.

A petition for Thailand to revoke Bartling's visa has received nearly 66,000 signatures, and several Twitter users have called for him to leave the country:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Bartling is in Thailand under a work visa, under his YouTube company, My Mate Nate Studios Ltd.

This isn't the first time Bartling has courted controversy, however.

Last year, he sparked outrage when he appeared to make fun of Thais for not being able to speak English, in yet another viral video.

Bartling filmed himself going up to Thais on the street to converse in English, only to say phrases like "you look terrible!" while smiling and capturing people's confused reactions.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Get any temporary tattoo in seconds with this printer

---

Topics Viral Videos YouTube Celebrities

• Social Good
• Tech
• Science
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Games
• Shopping
• Life

• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve Connections #237
• Merciful chrome extension replaces photos of Trump with kittens
• The ultimate guide to the 104 new emoji in iOS 10.2
• Stop rating flight attendants on how hot they are
• Every MCU movie villain ranked, from "Iron Man" to "Thunderbolts*"
• Star Trek Discovery casts Sonequa Martin
• TSA's tragic tale of a giant abandoned teddy bear gets a twist
• How fans pay the price for the NBA's grueling schedule
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• 'What Remains of Edith Finch' tells an artful story about death

• Cool guy Dave Grohl gives a fan one of his shoes
• Now the Producers Guild of America is also looking to boot Harvey Weinstein
• The most popular PC game bans thousands of players every day
• The Pixel 2 phones are now the least interesting Google hardware
• Bitcoin broke through $5,000—but there are major risks ahead
• Admit it, you're guilty of 'binge
• This guy flew 7,000 miles to watch a soccer match, only for it to be postponed
• Chance the Rapper is sending fans to see 'Marshall' for free
• Kellyanne Conway as Pennywise is everything you’ve ever wanted from 'Saturday Night Live'
• What to do with the pumpkin guts after you carve your jack

• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• 'Superstore' Training Videos: Watch new digital episodes from NBC
• Star Wars gift guide: Here's what to buy the geek who has everything
• Line messaging service announces video messaging for 200 participants
• What is Vcore and How Does It Help with Overclocking?
• Amazon's drone just accomplished its first real delivery
• Amazon's drone just accomplished its first real delivery
• World's best parents brought their daughter's stuffed animal to life for Christmas
• Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
• Check out this collection of 14,000 'Jerry Maguire' VHS tapes

• 5 Affordable Last
• Star Trek Discovery casts Sonequa Martin
• 'Superstore' Training Videos: Watch new digital episodes from NBC
• World's best parents brought their daughter's stuffed animal to life for Christmas
• Weather app glitch makes it look like hell is basically freezing over
• Inside the White House's first
• Ryan Lochte reveals he's having a baby in the most Ryan Lochte way
• MashReads Podcast: 'Cat's Cradle' is the absurdist book we should all read
• The Amazon Book Sale is coming April 23 through 28
• TSA's tragic tale of a giant abandoned teddy bear gets a twist