More than 80 instances of vandalism and arson have targeted Tesla vehicles and dealerships in recent weeks, according to NBC News
Incidents of vandalism and destruction targeting Tesla vehicles and dealership have continued to rise, including in Chicago in recent days.
North Center resident Peter Katz told NBC Chicago he bought his Tesla well before the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, the group associated with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has caused massive controversies over the department’s efforts to slash government spending and oversight.
Over the weekend, Katz, who is Jewish, found a Swastika sticker on the back bumper of his vehicle.
“One sticker that said ‘Heil Elon,’ and another that was a swastika flag,” he said.
Home surveillance footage showed a man placing the stickers on the vehicle. While no charges have been filed, Katz said he filed a police report, and said another neighbor’s Tesla was also targeted.
He says that the incident has been deeply disturbing.
“I’m taking this outside of politics. You can’t put symbols on anything that resembles hate,” he said. “Whatever your beliefs are, just don’t go that route.”
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Things have stepped up at the federal level as Musk has been the target of dozens of protests around the country, including nearly 90 over the weekend.
There have also been at least 80 reported cases of vandalism or arson perpetrated against Tesla dealerships across the U.S. and Canada in recent weeks, leading the FBI to announce the formation of a taskforce to combat the incidents.
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One of those incidents occurred in Austin, the home city of Tesla, where incendiary devices were found inside a Tesla showroom.
"The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, and over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post Monday on X, the social media site owned by Musk.
Patel called the arsons and vandalism “domestic terrorism,” and promised perpetrators would be “brought to justice.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi has also used the phrase “domestic terrorism,” and President Donald Trump suggested imprisoning those responsible in El Salvador.
"I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla," Trump wrote in a social media post Friday morning. "Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!"
Musk has said anyone burning Tesla vehicles is “psycho” and should “stop being psycho,” according to his X feed.
While Katz’s neighbor Joe Burden says he understands anger over DOGE’s actions, he doesn’t agree with the vandalism that occurred in North Center.
“I don’t align myself with people that want to vandalize individual owners,” he said. “It’s weird happening in this neighborhood.”
After removing the sticker, Katz said another sticker was placed on the vehicle, which occurred just after celebrating a significant milestone for his children.
"The Saturday before we celebrated our twins B'nai Mitzvah. Their rite of passage into being Jewish adults,” he said. “It is causing terror. I don’t think that’s the point, but who knows, right?”
