Elon Musk has broken his silence on a series of attacks that have damaged Tesla showrooms, charging stations and EVs across the United States and beyond. The incidents of arson and vandalism come at a time when Musk is facing growing backlash over his policies as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and when Tesla shares are tanking.
“This is crazy,” the Tesla CEO said in response to news of Cybertrucks being torched in Seattle last night.
Tesla Cybertrucks torched
Seattle fire officials have said a fire that damaged four Cybertrucks is under investigation. The fire began late on Sunday. The Cybertrucks were parked in a Tesla lot in Seattle’s industrial district, reported Fortune.
“Crews extinguished a fire involving four electric vehicles,” Seattle Fire spokesperson David Cuerpo told Storyful. “Then moved the involved vehicles away from anything else that can catch fire. No buildings were involved in the fire, and no injuries were reported.”
{{/usCountry}}“Crews extinguished a fire involving four electric vehicles,” Seattle Fire spokesperson David Cuerpo told Storyful. “Then moved the involved vehicles away from anything else that can catch fire. No buildings were involved in the fire, and no injuries were reported.”
{{/usCountry}}The fire was recorded in a video shared by journalist Jonathan Choe. A person off-camera was heard saying it looked like a case of arson.
“Unclear how this all started, but again, with everything that's happening in America right now with anti- Elon Musk hate, all the protests and incidents of vandalism, it appears to be arson,” the person was heard saying.
This is one among a series of attacks on Tesla showrooms, including one in France where several EVs were damaged in a fire.
(Also read: Tesla showroom set on fire, 12 cars destroyed in suspected arson attack in France)
The FBI is working with police in Oregon to investigate gunshots fired at a Tesla dealership last week. This incident happened a week after federal prosecutors in Denver charged a woman with vandalising a Tesla dealership in Colorado, where Molotov cocktails were thrown at vehicles and the phrase “Nazi cars” was spray-painted on the building.
A few hours after the Seattle fire, footage of citizens taking a sledgehammer to a Tesla car was widely circulated online.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, has recently become a focal point of public dissent due to his involvement in significant governmental restructuring efforts. Appointed by President Donald Trump as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has overseen substantial federal job cuts and program eliminations aimed at reducing government spending. These actions have sparked widespread protests and criticism against the billionaire.
(Also read: Elon Musk claims 'massive cyberattack' on X amid series of global outages)