Police, FBI investigate rash of Tesla vandalism incidents in New York City and New Jersey
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The NYPD is searching for the vandals who carved a swastika on a parked Tesla in Brooklyn.
It's part of a growing number of attacks against Teslas amid CEO Elon Musk's role in the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency and the slashing of thousands of federal jobs.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is now investigating the Cybertruck that was vandalized in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The FBI launched a task force intended to crack down on violent Tesla attacks in particular, which the FBI is designating as "domestic terrorism."
Video released by the NYPD shows one suspect crouch down next to the Cybertruck and allegedly carve a swastika and the word "Nazi" onto the door while another suspect looked on.
It happened on Monroe Street early Thursday morning.
"I don't know if he is Jewish necessarily. That would be even worse, but either way, it's really disgusting to see happen right outside of my apartment," said Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Dove Degeorge.
Another incident was reported Thursday, which happened on March 13.
A 38-year-old man found a sticker with a swastika and "Musk" written on it affixed to the driver's side rear bumper of his Tesla sedan, parked at Hawthorne Street and Rogers Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn.
This follows another similar act of vandalism in the city. Police say two suspects painted a red swastika on a Cybertruck near the intersection of Rivington and Chrystie streets on the Lower East Side.
It happened on March 6 after 10 p.m. The Hate Crimes Task Force is also involved in that investigation.
In South Jersey, neighbors are on alert after they say a man aggressively pursued several Tesla owners over the weekend.
This was in the Cherry Hill neighborhood Saturday evening, when the driver of a red Acura SUV was spotted antagonizing Tesla drivers.
"He was driving on the wrong side of the road and driving very erratically," a victim said. "The person driving the red SUV blocked us from pulling out of the driveway, rolled down his window, and said, 'You know why, right?' And flipped us the middle finger."
Meantime in Las Vegas, a man is facing federal charges for allegedly setting Tesla vehicles on fire.
These recent events are a concern for Tesla owners like Mickelle Damassia.
"And I think it's very hateful. And it's just one more thing that we have to deal with in this political climate right now, that I just think that we don't want to as a community either," Damassia of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Over the weekend, the FBI urged the public to look out for signs of a possible attack on Tesla dealerships or Tesla-related entities.
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