Tesla owners can stay safe with tips from crime prevention expert

Tesla owners are being urged to take precautions to protect themselves amid a recent spate of vandalism against the vehicles across the United States.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January and appointed Tesla owner Elon Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), radical activists nationwide have taken their anger out on Tesla dealerships, collision centers, charging stations and privately-owned Teslas alike. 

Despite the fact that every Tesla vehicle is equipped with surveillance cameras, which the vehicle manufacturer calls Sentry Mode, unmitigated Tesla vandalism continues to grow. 

However, Attorney General Pam Bondi has already slapped four people with federal charges in fiery attacks on Tesla dealerships and charging stations. 

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During a Thursday cabinet meeting, she reiterated to Trump that the attacks, which she has described as “domestic terrorism,” are being taken very seriously. 

“You gave us a directive to prosecute the people who are going after Tesla to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said. “Some of the greatest police work I’ve seen. We’ve made four arrests. There will be no negotiations at your directive.”

“They’re all looking at 20 years in prison, and within the next 24 hours, you’re going to be seeing another huge arrest on a Tesla dealership [suspect]. That person will be looking at least 20 years in prison with no negotiations.”

A crime prevention expert and spokesperson for the National Police Association is offering safety tips to Tesla owners to safeguard themselves and their property.

“If you do drive a Tesla, you want to be aware of what’s happening around you,” retired Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith told Fox News Digital. “So do things like turn down your music. Turn down your audio. Pay attention, especially when you come up to a stop light someplace that you’re going to have to sit for a few seconds, and look around you.”

Smith is a 29-year law enforcement veteran. During her career with the Naperville Police Department in Illinois, she supervised her department’s K-9 Unit, served as a field training sergeant, recruitment team sergeant, bike patrol coordinator, crowd control bike team leader, and supervisor of the Community Education/Crime Prevention Unit.

“When you’re parking, be cautious where you’re parking. Make sure you’re parking somewhere well-lit, as close to a building as you can, where there’s people,” she said. “I know that’s not always possible. But really, awareness really is key.”

Smith also said owners who are able should park their Teslas in a garage. 

She also said that she has noticed more Tesla owners remaining in their vehicles while the vehicles charge. 

“They’re working, and they’re on the phone and things like that, where previously people very often would charge at a public charging station, and they’d go do some shopping or go to the gym or whatever,” Smith said.

Below is a list of reported cases of Tesla vandalism. 

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Town and Country, Mo. – April 1

Matthew Reynolds of Ballwin, Missouri, faces felony property charges for allegedly keying a Tesla in the town of Town and Country. 

Reynolds is accused of scratching the entire side panel of a woman’s Tesla.

Boston – March 30

A woman in Boston allegedly vandalized a Tesla with a brick. 

Albuquerque, N.M. – March 29

A Cybertruck in Albuquerque was keyed by an unknown vandal. 

“It made me very angry. It frightened my kids. You know, we just don’t feel safe,” the anonymous owner told KRQE. “I don’t believe in doing actions like this and just getting away with it. Most of us have insurance, but I don’t want to claim my insurance. You know, I want to make him responsible for it.”

West Fargo, N.D. – March 29

Ryan Lyle Williams was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief for allegedly keying a Cybertruck in a West Fargo, North Dakota, Costco parking lot. 

Williams is accused of carving an “F” into the front driver’s side door of the vehicle. 

Aventura, Fla. – March 29

Yamaris Marrero, 45, of Hallandale Beach, faces a felony criminal mischief charge after allegedly vandalizing a Tesla with a large wad of chewing gum, according to Local 10. 

The vehicle sustained more than $2,600 in damage. 

Novato, Calif. – March 28

A masked man was caught on a home surveillance camera smashing the windshield of a Cybertruck parked in a driveway. 

“To come to my house and plan an attack like that, that person’s dangerous and needs to face consequences for what they’ve done,” Jason Bedell, the owner of the Cybertruck, told KTVU. “I’m a little [shaken] up right now, and I’m concerned that they may possibly come back, and it’s not a good feeling, having my family here, my young son.”

Bedell is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the suspect. 

Brookhaven, Miss. – March 28

Osvaldo Torres-Rodriguez, 63, an illegal immigrant from Cuba, was allegedly caught on camera vandalizing a Tesla with a pair of pliers, a according to WAPT. 

The Brookhaven Police Department issued a felony warrant for his arrest.  

New York City – March 27

Two men were caught on video, one carving the word “Nazi” and a swastika onto a Cybertruck in Brooklyn. 

“I feel myself burning inside,” said Ben Hamo, the owner of that Cybertruck, who is Jewish. 

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Bloomington, M.N., – March 26

A vandal allegedly keyed a Tesla in a grocery story parking lot, causing $3,200 in damages.

“Stop damaging these cars all around the country, and we’re tired of our insurance rates going up,” said Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges. “And what are you really accomplishing? Knock this off.”

Bradenton, Fla. – March 26

Three Teslas were vandalized in a Bradenton shopping center parking lot, the Bradenton Herald reported. One of the vehicles sustained about $1,000 in damage, while the other two sustained more than $3,000 in damage.

The suspect wore a blue shirt and drives a dark-colored Chevrolet, police said. 

Texarkana, Texas – March 25

Demarqeyun Cox, 33, was arrested for allegedly ramming a “mini four-wheeler” into several Tesla vehicles, according to police.

He was charged with felony criminal mischief and is being held in jail on a $105,000 bond. 

Austin, Texas – March 24

Incendiary devices were discovered and removed from a Tesla dealership. Police are investigating. 

“The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident,” an Austin police statement said. “This is an open and ongoing investigation.”

Seattle – March 23

A Seattle couple, identified only as Ally and Ryan, were victims of a Tesla keying, KIRO 7 reported.

“That you can tell in the video, they’re recording the whole thing – you can easily tell this is targeted, there’s intent there and kind of mockery of it with all the recording,” said Ryan. “Should I not be driving out during these times? Should I now take the bus? Should I worry about my safety? It’s sad to see that, you know, not just myself but other people’s lives are being affected.”

Garner, N.C. – March 23

According to WRAL, a man identified only as Jeremy said that someone carved the word “NAZI” into his Tesla. 

“I was working from home and my wife was out running some errands. [She] came home and as she was coming in past the car, she saw the damage to it,” Jeremy said. “We immediately started reviewing the footage from the car because it does have Sentry Mode – but unfortunately we didn’t see anything.”

Newtown Township, Penn. – March 23

A Cybertruck was vandalized with a permanent marker while the vehicle’s owner dined inside a restaurant. 

The suspects are juveniles, according to WPVI.

Bretton Woods, N.H. – March 22

Kerri Pouliot’s Cybertruck was vandalized in the parking lot of the Omni Mountain Resort & Spa in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.

Sentry Mode video showed a man keying the vehicle while walking past. 

She called police, and the male suspect was confronted by police in the parking lot. The incident is under investigation.

Rock Springs, Wyo. – March 22

A rural Tesla charging station was vandalized when swastikas were spray-painted on the chargers, according to wyomingnews.com.  

Wichita, Kansas – March 22

Abigail Gill, who uses a wheelchair, was the victim of a keying while she was dining in a restaurant. 

“It’s a super saddening and disappointing thing to see,” she told “Fox & Friends.”

The damage to her vehicle was upwards of $7,000.

Las Vegas – March 18

Paul Hyon Kim, 36, allegedly firebombed a Tesla dealership with Molotov cocktails, setting five vehicles ablaze. 

He has been charged with multiple state crimes ranging from destruction of property, arson and possessing a fire device, and the FBI said he will be charged federally. 

“There’s nothing courageous or noble about firebombing private property and terrorizing your local community,” said Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas Bureau. “The self-righteous mob that’s cheering you on today to commit acts of violence on their behalf will leave you high and dry and forget about you tomorrow. And at the end of the day, you and you alone will be held responsible and face the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence.”

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Kansas City, Mo. – March 17

A Cybertruck was set on fire in the parking lot of a Tesla dealership in Kansas City on March 17, just before midnight. According to the Kansas City Star, the fire then spread to a second vehicle before firefighters arrived at the scene.

The FBI’s Kansas City field office and the ATF issued a joint statement on the incident saying it was “too early in the investigation to comment further” or give more details on what may have occurred. 

Encinitas, Calif. – March 17

A Tesla dealership was subjected to the wrath of anti-Musk radicals who smashed the building’s windows and spray-painted it with swastikas, according to The San Diego Tribune. 

San Jose, Calif. – March 17

A suspect was caught on video keying a Tesla in a Costco parking lot, and was captured almost immediately. 

“Within less than 24 hours of the viral vandalism incident being reported to the San Jose Police Department, we successfully identified, located, and arrested the individual responsible for this act of felony vandalism,” San Jose police said in a post on X.

“Keying a car because you don’t like the person who designed it is like breaking a clock because you don’t like the time it shows,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said. “If this crime was politically motivated, our residents can’t be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing 3,000 miles away.”

Berkeley, Calif. – March 16

A Berkeley man who identified himself as Hiroshi was the victim of vandalism in a Whole Foods parking lot. Another man jumped out of his vehicle and spray-painted Hiroshi’s Tesla, as seen on Sentry Mode footage. 

“I wasn’t shocked because this has been happening so frequently,” he told ABC7. “Even the police, when they showed up, both officers are Tesla owners as well. They expressed to me that they’ve been dealing with this so much. It’s like a trend.”

Washington – March 2 to March 14

There were six separate instances of vandalism reported against Tesla vehicles. Those incidents range from keying swastikas to spray-painting other vulgarities. 

According to The Washington Examiner, the Metro Police Department is investigating the incidents as hate crimes. 

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Buffalo Grove, Ill. – March 14

A Tesla Sales, Service, and Delivery Center was vandalized, FOX 32 Chicago reported.

Shortly thereafter, Erin L. White, 27, was taken into custody after a brief investigation and charged with felony criminal damage to property. 

It is unclear what the extent of the damage was. 

Dallas – March 13

An anonymous victim of a Tesla keying at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, caught on his vehicle’s Sentry Mode, is suing the man who allegedly vandalized his car. 

The suspect, Rafael Hernandez, was arrested March 22 on a felony criminal mischief charge by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. 

“I believe strongly that I was targeted because my car is a Tesla,” the owner told Fox News Digital. “I didn’t even realize that this nationwide Tesla attack was even a thing — until I was thrown into that world. What’s important to me is that it happened, it was intentional, and it was wrong. As a result, I’ve been thrown into a nightmare, and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

Tigard, Ore. – March 13 and March 6

 Two weeks in a row, a suspect or suspects opened fire on a Tesla dealership. 

“Early this morning … more than a dozen shots were fired at the dealership causing extensive damage to cars and showroom windows,” the Tigard Police Department said in an Instagram post after the first shooting. “A security guard was on scene at the time; thankfully he was not hurt.

Kentwood, Mich. – March 10

The Kentwood Police Department said vandals spray-painted five Tesla Cybertrucks, and said they have two persons of interest. 

The suspects spray-painted “Nazis Always Lose” on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Boston – March 11 to March 19

Boston police suspect that one person was responsible for vandalizing multiple Teslas in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood on separate days mid-March. 

Police released a photo of the suspect on March 29.

Dedham, Mass. – March 11

Tires were slashed on three Tesla vehicles in an overnight parking area, and two of the vehicles, both Cybertrucks, were also spray-painted. 

“Responding officers were advised that words had been spray-painted on two Tesla Cyber-trucks and all four tires on each vehicle had been damaged. In addition, all four tires on a Tesla Model S were reported damaged,” according to the Dedham Police Department. 

Seattle – March 9

Four Cybertrucks parked in a Tesla lot in Seattle were damaged in a fire.

Authorities told the Associated Press that no one was injured and no property other than vehicles was damaged. 

Loveland, Colo. – March 7

Cooper Jo Fredrick, 24, was arrested in Plano, Texas, on suspicion of attacking a Tesla dealership on March 7 in Loveland, Colo., according to federal authorities. 

He is facing federal charges and up to 20 years in prison after tossing an incendiary onto the dealership’s lot, igniting two cars. 

Frederick is also facing local charges, including second-degree arson and possession of explosives or incendiary devices. 

North Charleston, S.C. – March 7

Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly wrote anti-Trump messages and pro-Ukraine messages around Tesla charging stations before lighting three of the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails on March 7.

Court documents, citing witnesses, say Clarke-Pounder spray-painted in red paint, “F— Trump” and “Long Live Ukraine” in a Tesla charging station parking spot.

Clarke-Pounder, who accidentally lit himself on fire during the attack, was charged federally with arson of property in interstate commerce.

Littleton, Mass. – March 3

Police said that seven Tesla charging stations were lit on fire in the small town. 

“Responding officers observed that several Tesla charging stations were engulfed in flames and heavy, dark smoke,” said a release from the Littleton police. While waiting for the electric department to arrive, another charging station caught fire. A total of seven charging stations sustained heavy fire-related damage.”

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Ontario, Calif. – March 3

Footage from the parking lot of the Ontario International Airport in California showed a man swinging his luggage bag wildly at a Tesla Model Y, causing $3,000 in damage. 

Owings Mills, Md. – March 2

A Tesla dealership in Owings Mills, Md., a suburb of Baltimore, was vandalized with spray paint that read “No Musk,” as well as a symbol that looked like a swastika or an “X,” the latter of which could symbolize Musk’s ownership of the microblogging site.  

Loveland, Colo. – Jan. 29 to Feb. 24

Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, was first arrested in Loveland, Colorado, on Jan. 29 after attempting to set a Tesla dealership on fire with Molotov cocktails.  

Nelson was later found in possession of materials used to produce additional incendiary weapons, including a container of gasoline, bottles, and wick materials, on Feb. 24, prosecutors said.

Nelson was charged federally with arson of property in interstate commerce and possession of unregistered destructive device, and locally with one count of malicious destruction of property, explosives or incendiary devices use, felony criminal mischief and criminal attempt to commit felonies. 

During the same timeframe, there were also three separate instances of graffiting at the dealership, though it is unclear whether Nelson was involved. 

Salem, Ore. – Feb 19 and Jan. 20

Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, threw approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership located in Salem, Oregon, on Jan 20, according to federal prosecutors. One vehicle was completely destroyed, and several others were damaged.

On Feb. 19, officers responded early in the morning to a call at the same location and found “projectiles believed to be spent bullets, bullet fragments, and several projectile impacts. Lansky was also allegedly in possession of an AR-15 rifle during the attack. 

He has been charged federally with arson of property in interstate commerce and possession of unregistered destructive device. 

Upon the federal indictments of Nelson, Lansky and Clarke-Pounder, Bondi said the arrests should be a warning to others who might commit violent attacks. 

“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Bondi said. “Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”

However, one expert says accused vandals not only need to face consequences, but the examples of them facing consequences need to be more publicly extravagant in order to deter future criminal activity. 

“You know, we haven’t seen real consequences yet,” former NYPD detective Rob O’Donnell told Fox News Digital. “We haven’t seen people marched around in handcuffs. I mean, we’ve seen people identified, we’ve seen the threat of charges. We’ve seen, ‘you’re going to face 20 years [in prison], it’s going to be federal charges.’ But until they actually see people’s lives ruined, they’re going to be led by emotion, pure rage rather than any common sense.”

O’Donnell started off as a street cop in the 1980s, when the city had an epidemic of subway train graffiti. During that time, police used decoy trains to catch graffiti vandals, and O’Donnell suggested that Tesla could partner with law enforcement and do something similar to catch and deter would-be vandals. 

“[Radical activists] lost all sense of reality and reasoning,” he said. “And that might be a bigger issue, that politics has brought us to this point. And I’ve talked about this since the election. Democrats are really leaderless. They don’t have a message. They’re basically listening to whoever has the loudest megaphone. And if the person with the loudest megaphone is telling you time and time again ‘take [your anger] out here,’ people unfortunately are going to listen.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Tesla for comment.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, Pilar Arias, Louis Casiano and Preston Mizell contributed to this report.