Police arrest suspected serial Tesla vandal in Minneapolis; $21K in damages (2025)

A suspect allegedly involved with a string of vandalized Tesla vehicles in downtown and northeast Minneapolis has been arrested.

The Minneapolis Police Department held a press conference Thursday with Chief Brian O'Hara and Sgt. Rob Illetschko, confirming the suspect was arrested on Wednesday and is facing pending charges.

"In this latest investigation into damaged Tesla vehicles, Sgt. Illetschko helped identify and arrest a suspect, caught on camera keying multiple Teslas, causing thousands of dollars in damages," O'Hara said, later clarifying it's estimated to be over $21,000 in damages.

The MPD chief said all six cases involving the suspect involve "felony-level damage."

Illetschko says there are other cases separate from the six that the department is actively investigating. He noted the surveillance video Teslas are equipped with are "extremely helpful in identifying suspects."

Police showed four surveillance footage videos showing the suspect in action. The suspect's strategy was to key the vehicles as he walked past the Teslas with his dog.

The man is also seen writing something with his key on some of the Teslas, though police declined to reveal what he keyed into a message because the investigation remains active.

Here's where the Tesla incidents occurred:

• Near the intersection of 5th Avenue South and South 2nd Street
• Along South 2nd Street between 5th Avenue South and 3rd Avenue South
• Near the intersection of Washington Avenue and 5th Avenue South
• In the Northeast Minneapolis Target parking lot at 1650 New Brighton Boulevard at The Quarry

The incidents happened on different dates, sometime between March 18 and March 31.

"Damage to Teslas like this is a nationwide event. We have a problem nationwide, and here in Minneapolis we would like to put an end to it,"Illetschko said.

Illetschko is alluding to the uptick in vandalisms to Teslas in protest of Tesla CEO and big tech billionaire Elon Musk's actions in the Trump Administration, overseeing wide-ranging federal funding cuts and layoffs as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In March, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the attacks on Teslas a "wave of domestic terrorism," committing that the FBI will continue to crack down with heavy sentences.

When asked if he considers these Minneapolis reports domestic terrorism, O'Hara alluded to the fact it's "hurting the victims" and is an "inconvenience."

"This is felony-level property damage. And it is hurting the individual victims in these cases. It's hurting the people in this city that own these cars," O'Hara said. "And it's certainly an inconvenience and it's a significant loss of money to them."

Police believe there may have been other damages not yet reported.

Pending review by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, charges could be forthcoming.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.