By Matthew Medsger
Boston Herald
BOSTON — A parade of destruction and torched Teslas on the streets and at dealerships across the nation prompted an alert from the FBI over the weekend.
The feds said the public should be on the look out after “recent nationwide incidents” involving the electric car company, including at “dealerships, storage lots, and charging stations.”
“Since January 2025, incidents targeting Tesla EVs have occurred in at least nine states,” the bureau wrote. Among those states is Massachusetts.
A Roslindale man earlier this month was arrested and charged with tagging Teslas in Brookline with anti-Elon Musk stickers.
And a man in Lowell told police he was shot at while driving his Tesla on Jackson Street in that city.
“It’s a huge problem,” the man told NBC10 late last week.
The FBI said residents across the country are advised to “exercise vigilance” and to stay on the “look out for suspicious activity” when in proximity to a Tesla dealership or “Tesla-related entities.”
Potential “threat activity” includes violent online threats made against “specific Tesla properties,” criminal actors inquiring about or attempting to examine security at Tesla properties or taking video or photos there, any “unusual surveillance or interest in Tesla-related entities,” and attempts to gain unauthorized access to Tesla facilities, the FBI said..
The FBI’s warning comes after attorney General Pam Bondi said she’d opened an investigation “to see how is this being funded, who is behind this.”
“If you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we’re coming after you,” Bondi said Friday on Fox Business Network.
The increased violence follows Trump’s inauguration and the elevation of Tesla CEO Elon Musk to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency that has announced a series of dramatic cuts at agencies across the federal bureaucracy. But FBI said the arson and destruction takes political dissent too far.
“These incidents have involved arson, gunfire, and vandalism, including graffiti expressing grievances against those the perpetrators perceive to be racists, fascists, or political opponents,” they wrote.
Other incidents in Massachusetts include a Tesla charging station in Littleton allegedly set ablaze earlier this month. In February, a Tesla charging lot in Tyngsboro was tagged with chalk swastikas.
The dissent has hit Tesla’s stock, too and Trump recently responded to financial hit by holding an impromptu auto show on the White House lawn.
Trump also said that crimes against the Tesla brand should be treated as acts of domestic terrorism, suggesting on Friday that suspects should be arrested and shipped to a notoriously violent foreign prison to serve decades-long sentences.
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla. Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!” the 47th President of the United States said via Truth, his personally owned social media platform.
The violence does not appear to be part of a coordinated effort or the actions of an organized group, according to the FBI.
“These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night. Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes,” the FBI said.
Those who witness suspicious or criminal activity are encouraged to reach out to law enforcement. According to the Bureau, “reporting these crimes can help law enforcement identify violent or malicious actors and prevent further damage.”
To report a threat to the FBI, according to the advisory, you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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