‘Old man’ caught on video keying Tesla arrested for felony; officials blast similar instances of politically driven crime

An “old man” who was caught on video keying a Tesla in San Jose, California, has been arrested for the “act of felony vandalism” — and local officials blasted similar instances of politically driven crime.

The incident happened in a Costco parking lot between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, KRON-TV reported, citing the owner of the vandalized Tesla. The now-viral video shows a male with white hair and a white beard and wearing a USA jacket use a key to scratch the exterior of the Tesla vehicle.

‘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.’

A second video shows a similar looking male wearing the same jacket getting confronted about the incident, and he denies involvement. The title of the pair of videos is “WATCH THIS: Old man who keyed Tesla in San Jose is confronted.”

San Jose Police announced Monday night that “we successfully identified, located, and arrested the individual responsible for this act of felony vandalism.”

“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,” San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph wrote in a statement. “I urge everyone to respect one another and, above all, to respect the law.”

San Jose Democrat Mayor Matt Mahan added that vandalizing Teslas isn’t the proper way to handle disagreements with Telsa CEO Elon Musk, who has been heading up the Trump administration’s cost-cutting DOGE, which is deeply unpopular with leftists.

“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 said on X. “If this crime was politically motivated, our residents can’t be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing 3,000 miles away. 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 replied to the police department’s X post with an American flag emoji.

You can view KRON’s video report here about the incident.

Anything else?

KRON reported that Mahan previously defended Tesla when Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a California electric vehicle tax credit should the Trump administration cut EV federal tax credits. The station added that Newsom’s proposal likely would have excluded Tesla from the rebate and that Mahan said the governor’s proposal had “no economic rationale” and was a “political stunt.”

More from KRON:

The act of vandalism comes during a time Tesla owners in the Bay Area and nationwide are being targeted because of the recent controversy surrounding Musk. Tesla owners in San Francisco are being urged to sell their vehicles as flyers across the city are being posted, which read “sell your swasticar.”

Fremont District 4 Councilmember Yang Shao said last week his Tesla was vandalized in a similar incident to Friday’s. His electric vehicle was “keyed by someone,” the elected official wrote on his social media page.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has promised punishment for such vandals. The station noted that gunshots were fired at a dealership in Oregon and a fire destroyed four Cybertrucks at a Tesla lot in Seattle.

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