Bay Area man arrested for keying Tesla amid anti-Musk backlash.
San Jose police arrested a guy on Monday night for allegedly keying a white Tesla parked at a Costco after security camera footage of the vehicle went viral.
The video of the vandalism, which occurred at the Costco on Senter Road, was widely shared on social media. The clips show a man wearing a "USA" jacket parking his Hyundai SUV next to the Tesla before exiting his vehicle and scratching the Tesla's passenger-side door with a key.
San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph confirmed the arrest in a statement posted Monday on the department's X account, describing the crime as "felony vandalism"; however, the perpetrator has yet to be identified.
"This senseless crime and its subsequent consequences should serve as a clear reminder: no matter one's personal beliefs or frustrations, they do not justify illegal actions," stated Joseph. "I urge everyone to respect one another and, above all, to respect the law."
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan commented on the vandalism, questioning whether it was politically motivated in light of the ongoing public backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk's prominent role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency during President Donald Trump's second administration.
"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," Mahan told X. "If this crime was politically motivated, our residents can't be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing 3,000 miles away."
Mahan also encouraged neighbors to channel their outrage productively, saying, "I want to thank @SanJosePD for finding the person responsible and urge us all to voice our opinions where they matter — at the ballot box, not in a parking lot."
Musk responded briefly to Joseph's tweet on the arrest of X, using merely an emoji of the American flag.
The damage is part of a larger wave of anti-Tesla sentiment in San Francisco, where banners urging Tesla owners to sell their vehicles have emerged statewide. Messages such, as "Sell your Swasticar." "Don't be Carplicit" has been posted on automobiles and street signs, with controversial imagery such as Musk doing a Nazi salute during Trump's inauguration. Another poster refers to the iconic 1989 Tiananmen Square "Tank Man" image, except instead of tanks, it uses Tesla Cybertrucks.
Musk's DOGE actions, in which he aggressively advocated for federal job cuts and agency reduction, have sparked significant condemnation. His ties to the Trump administration have sparked demonstrations at Tesla showrooms across the country, including regular rallies at the Van Ness Avenue site in San Francisco.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Tesla drivers in the Bay Area have also endured vandalism and public shame, causing some owners to use bumper stickers to distance themselves from Musk. Messages have included "I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy" and "Anti-Elon Tesla Club." (Hearst owns both The Chronicle and SFGate, but they have different newsrooms.)
When pressed for more information, SJPD declined to provide any.