CRIMES AGAINST TESLAS

California Man Charged With Felony for Vandalizing Tesla

San Jose mayor asks people to voice their opinions “at the ballot box, not in a parking lot”

A man was arrested Tuesday in San Jose, California, for keying a Tesla in a Costco parking lot in yet another act of vandalism against the electric vehicles. Local authorities say the incident most likely took place on March 14. A post on X from March 16 shows video footage taken from a Tesla vehicle’s Sentry Mode of a Hyundai SUV pulling into a parking lot and a white-bearded man, donning a leather jacket with an American eagle and “USA” on the back, coming out of the vehicle and scratching a key across the car. In the same post is a video of an unidentified person confronting the man seemingly a few days later about the incident, to which he denies any involvement. This is one of many instances of recent vandalism directed at Tesla following criticism of Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration. The motive behind this particular incident still remains unclear. The San Jose Police Department posted an update on X that the individual responsible for this “senseless crime” was identified, arrested and charged with felony vandalism. They also “urge everyone to respect one another and, above all, to respect the law.” The name of the suspect has not yet been released. Musk replied to the police department’s post with nothing but an American flag emoji. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan urged residents to “voice our opinions where they matter—at the ballot box, not in a parking lot.”