Police are investigating vandalism of a Tesla Cybertruck that was damaged while parked in a Novato driveway this weekend, marking the latest in a series of incidents targeting Tesla vehicles throughout the country and the third reported in the Bay Area within a fortnight.
Novato police said in a Facebook post that security footage captured a figure examining a home shortly after 4:20 a.m. on Saturday before returning about an hour later with a “concrete rock.”
The vandal managed to cover a security camera with duct tape before repeatedly throwing concrete at the truck’s windshield and slashing each of its tires, and taping a handwritten message about the tires’ damage before leaving.
“We are aware of another recent incident in Novato targeting Tesla vehicles and want to reassure our community that we are fully committed to investigating these acts,” police said.
Novato police asked nearby residents to check security cameras for suspicious activity between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Saturday. And the owner is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The incident follows several similar mid-month attacks against Tesla vehicles in the Bay Area.
On March 17, San Jose police said they arrested a man filmed keying a Tesla in a South San Jose Costco parking lot. The suspect, who wore a jacket featuring an American flag, was seen in a viral video posted to social media.
“No matter one’s personal beliefs or frustrations, they do not justify illegal actions,” San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said following the arrest. Tesla CEO Elon Musk replied approvingly to the department’s X post with his own, featuring an American-flag emoji.
“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, pointing to potential political motivations behind the vandalism. “If this crime was politically motivated, our residents can’t be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing 3,000 miles away.”
Farther afield, in New York City and Washington D.C., police are investigating some acts of Tesla vandalism as hate crimes as the Trump administration pushes back against the trend.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency considers vandalizing a Tesla as “domestic terrorism,” and announced a task force to investigate the incidents as such.
Meanwhile, a Tesla owner in Tarrant County, Texas, filed what attorneys called a first-of-its-kind lawsuit this past week against a man caught on video vandalizing his Model X at DFW International Airport.
Rafael H. Hernandez was arrested after investigators retrieved the Tesla’s onboard “sentry mode” security video showing a man using a car key to create a deep scratch along the vehicle’s side on March 16.
The lawsuit, filed by Dallas-based Nachawati Law Group, seeks damages including emotional distress, mental anguish, lost wages and property damage.
“America is a free country, and you are entitled to purchase a car free from vandalism, harassment, harm or threats solely due to political beliefs,” said Majed Nachawati, founder of the law firm. “My client purchased a Tesla for reasons that have nothing to do with the things going on politically in this country.”
The plaintiff, who filed the lawsuit using only his initials to protect his privacy, purchased the vehicle in 2022 — before recent debates over Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s ties to the Trump administration’s Department of Governmental Efficiency.
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi has threatened aggressive prosecution of the incidents, but the lawsuit appears to mark the first known civil action by an individual Tesla owner related to the vandalism spike.