We have seen some pretty bad acts of vandalism over the years against Tesla vehicles, like keying and even knifing the side of the car, but this latest act caught on camera may be one of the worst.
The act of senseless vandalism occurred on October 29, 2020 in London, Ontario in a parking lot at 74 Fullerton Street. The Model 3 owner Ken, tells Drive Tesla his car had been parked there overnight, something which he had done many times before without incident.
At 5:57 am the suspect approaches the vehicle from the front with a large concrete block in his hands. After quickly checking out the interior of the Model 3, the suspect steps back several feet before hurling the concrete block into the passenger window.
UPDATE: Keep those tips coming! The owner has let us know he already has a lead on a potential suspect, along with information on at least one other theft this person may have committed.
HELP IF YOU RECOGNIZE? This was my car on October 29th at 5:57am in London, Ontario, Canada. Caused around $10,000 in damage so far. Another camera angle in replies. Any information, please.
Thanks @Tesla for sending@Sentrymostwantd @TeslaLondon @lpsmediaoffice @CityofLdnOnt pic.twitter.com/uLHhRnih6P
— Tesla Flux (@Tesla_Flux) November 19, 2020
According to Ken, there was nothing valuable inside and the thief only got away with about $3 in change from the center console, also making away with the actual tray itself.
It will take a lot more than $3 to fix the damage though. After the window broke, the flying shards of glass scratched the driver and passenger seats, also landing inside the HVAC vent, damaging the adjustable fins inside. Ken tells us there was also damage to the trim around the window and B-pillar seal.
The interesting part about this story is that despite Sentry Mode being turned on, it failed to record the event on the USB drive. So how are we seeing the Sentry Mode footage if it wasn’t saved?
Ken tells us he contacted Tesla directly to see if they could recover the video of the incident. According to the automaker, because it triggered a “major alarm”, which sent a notification to his phone, the video was also automatically sent to Tesla. After several weeks of waiting they were finally able to send Ken the video of the incident just today.
Fortunately we get a pretty good look at the suspect thanks to the forward facing camera. If anyone has information on his identity, please contact the London Police Service and quote police file number 2020-806390.
Front camera. You can see the lerners building straight ahead. pic.twitter.com/kPcoSPnlxi
— Tesla Flux (@Tesla_Flux) November 19, 2020
