LOVELAND, Colo. — As officers responded to yet another suspected arson and vandalism at a Tesla dealership, Loveland’s police chief condemned the recent release of a suspect charged in four previous attacks, calling it a failure of the criminal justice system.
Just after midnight on March 8, officers with the Loveland Police Department responded to the dealership and found an incendiary device burning between two vehicles, the Coloradoan reported. A responding officer extinguished the fire. Police also reported damage to the dealership building and several vehicles, which appeared to have been struck by rocks.
Several employees working on a late-night cleaning crew were inside the dealership at the time, but no injuries were reported.
This is the fifth incident at the dealership in 2025, with previous vandalism or arson attempts occurring on Jan. 29, Feb. 2, Feb. 7 and Feb. 24, according to the report.
Previous incidents and ongoing investigation
In late February, authorities arrested a suspect in connection with four incidents of vandalism and explosive device use at the Loveland Tesla dealership in January and February, according to the New York Post.
One of the more notable attacks occurred on Feb. 7, when police discovered suspected arson and hateful graffiti on the building and vehicles. Among the vandalism, officers found the partially covered phrase “Nazi Car” spray-painted on the back of the dealership, the Coloradoan reported.
The suspect was charged at both the state and federal levels, facing criminal mischief and use of explosives at the state level and malicious destruction of property at the federal level. However, the suspect was released the next day on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond for the federal charge, the New York Post reported.
Loveland Police Chief Tim Doran expressed frustration over that suspect’s release.
“I couldn’t be more disappointed with a criminal justice system that would release an individual on a PR bond who placed incendiary devices at a Loveland business,” Doran said. “This decision is not just troubling for our community but reflects a broader problem faced nationwide.”
“It’s incredibly challenging to keep our citizens safe from copycat behavior when there are no repercussions to lawlessness,” Doran added.
The March 8 arson incident does not appear to be connected to the previously released suspect, according to police.
National trend of Tesla-related vandalism
As Elon Musk’s role in politics grows, Tesla vehicles and dealerships have increasingly become targets of vandalism, according to the report.
Earlier this month, a 41-year-old Oregon man was arrested for throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon. Additionally, a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon, reported gunfire damage and shattered glass on March 6, according to the report.
Authorities in Loveland are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the recent attack.
