A Missouri TikTok creator says she received a traffic ticket moments after stopping to help a turtle cross the road, sparking a debate about whether officers should have handled the situation differently. Ell In Real Life (@ellenjaz17) shared several videos describing the encounter.
In one TikTok viral post tagged Cottle Village in St. Peters, Missouri, she included the text overlay: “When you save a turtle from being ran over, then 30 seconds later you get a ticket. The cop was watching us the entire time.” In follow-up, she said she did not record her interaction with the officer.
In multiple replies to viewers in the comments, Ell In Real Life stated that the officer issues the citation for impeding traffic. She did not post an image of the ticket in the videos reviewed.
Creator says she thought she might get congratulated
According to Ell In Real Life, she initially believed the traffic stop would be positive. “I originally thought he was pulling us over to congratulate us, be supportive, something along those lines, because, again, he was watching us move the turtle,” she said. Instead, she described the encounter as “a very negative encounter for no reason at all.”
In her post, Ell also said the officer’s attitude influenced her decision not to begin recording during the stop. “Once I saw his demeanor and how he was acting towards me, I didn’t feel that it was the best option to record him, because I felt like that could escalate things, and my kids were in the car, and it just wasn’t worth it,” she said.
@ellenjaz17 When you save a turtle from being ran over, then 30 seconds later you get a ticket 🤦🏽♀️😂 The cop was watching us the entire time #wildlife #turtle #turtles #saxophone #trending
♬ Saxophones getting louder – Sped Up – AntonioVivald
Rather than argue, she said she remained polite. “So I just met his negativity with kindness,” she explained, adding that she even thanked the officer after receiving the citation. “Thank you. You have a great day.”
The creator also said she immediately hired an attorney to contest the citation. “Because me arguing with him wasn’t gonna get me anywhere,” she said. “So I just did the best option I could and called a lawyer, hired him same day. He has the video, he has everything. And, um, he’s working behind the scenes to figure out why this officer was acting that way, why he would give us a ticket, and all these other things.”
The incident comes as the Missouri Department of Conservation encourages motorists to help turtles only when it is safe to do so. The agency advises drivers to check for traffic before moving a turtle across the road and to place it on the side in the direction it was already traveling. The department stresses that personal safety should remain the top priority during any wildlife rescue attempt.
The videos have drawn thousands of comments, including one viewer who urged her, “Dont pay the ticket and go see a judge. Explain it was a road hazard and the police watching you do it should have been doing their job and removing it with their lights on in the middle of the road.”
