Vandal who put Swastika sticker on Jewish man's Tesla sends owner apology letter

A Jewish man whose Tesla was among multiple vehicles vandalized with Swastika stickers in Chicago last week said he received an anonymous letter from the vandal apologizing for his actions.

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.

Earlier this month, 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.

“I’m taking this outside of politics. You can’t put symbols on anything that resembles hate,” Katz said at the time. “Whatever your beliefs are, just don’t go that route.”

After removing the sticker, Katz said another sticker was placed on his vehicle, which occurred just after celebrating a significant milestone for his children - his twins' B'nai Mitzvah.

After news reports spread sharing Katz's story, he said the alleged vandal apparently sent him an apology letter.

"I saw the story on the news, I did not know your family was Jewish and that this would cause immense harm to you and your family," the letter began. "I am incredibly sorry for what I did, I did not mean to insult you and your family. I mean it, I have many friends working in the federal government, including in my own family, whose lives have been upended by Elon Musk, including my own. Many of us, (myself included) feel endlessly mocked when we see a Tesla, a vehicle that funded the man who is destroying millions of Americans' lives, as well as our fragile democracy."

Incidents of vandalism and destruction targeting Tesla vehicles have continued to rise as Musk has become the target of dozens of protests around the country. 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.

FBI Director Kash 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 lashed out in anger, marking Teslas inappropriately," the letter to Katz stated. "It was wrong, I know that now. Know that this move was not made towards you but to try and disparage Elon's brand further. What he has done to millions of Americans is unforgivable. I hope you understand the frustration many of us are feeling.
I hope your child's mitzvah went well. I now found out on the news, that you bought this tesla well before Elon revealed his true colors to the world (by spouting many antisemitic conspiracy theories on X)."

The vandal also sent with the letter a new set of stickers in what they described as "acting in good faith." The stickers read "Anti-Elon Tesla Owner!" and "I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy!"

The writer of the letter also stated "my days of posting this are done."

Katz said he doesn't the feel the letter is enough.

“I think if the person is really sorry he should come forward and make a public statement and apologize not just to me but everybody," he told NBC Chicago. "I have asked many people if I should accept his apology and like our nation the people are split. Some say it’s sincere and some say he should be punished because he should have thought of his actions and now his just covering himself."

While Katz’s neighbor Joe Burden said 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.”