San Jose Police arrest man for keying Tesla, charge him with felony vandalism

A man who was caught on camera keying a Tesla in a Costco parking lot in San Jose, California has been charged with vandalism. A video of the man scratching the car with his key went viral on Monday, and the suspect was subsequently identified and arrested.

The San Jose Police announced on Monday evening that the man in a USA jacket who was caught on video keying the car has been arrested for the "act of felony vandalism."

"Within less than 24 hours of the viral vandalism incident being reported to the San Jose Police Department, we successfully identified, located, and arrested the individual responsible for this act of felony vandalism," San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said. "This senseless crime and its subsequent consequences should serve as a clear reminder: no matter one's personal beliefs or frustrations, they do not justify illegal actions. I urge everyone to respect one another and, above all, to respect the law."

In addition to the arrest, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan spoke up about the incident. "Keying a car because you don’t like the person who designed it is like breaking a clock because you don’t like the time it shows," the mayor wrote on X.

"If this crime was politically motivated, our residents can’t be held accountable for something Elon Musk is doing 3,000 miles away. I want to thank [the San Jose Police Department] for finding the person responsible and urge us all to voice our opinions where they matter — at the ballot box, not in a parking lot."

Tesla founder Elon Musk responded to the report that the suspect was caught with an American flag emoji.

The incident comes after there have been a number of violent incidents involving the burning as well as vandalism of Teslas, charging stations, and Tesla dealerships across the US and in other parts of the world as Musk has been working with the Trump administration to cut back the scope of government and curb federal spending.