PITTSBURGH — A third known Tesla has been targeted in the Pittsburgh area recently.
A bicyclist was caught on camera punching the side mirror of a Tesla Cybertruck in Shadyside on April 11. Moments later, someone in that same bike group spit on the car.
The driver’s side mirror was left dangling.
The family, who did not want to be identified out of fear of retaliation, parked their truck along Walnut Street and went for a walk with their newborn around 7 p.m.
“Honestly, it was really upsetting,” the wife of the Cybertruck owner said. “You don’t expect to walk up to your car and see it deliberately damaged like that.”
When the family saw the damage, they said they first thought it was an accident. Then, they saw the camera footage from the car and were shocked and shaken.
“It just felt so personal for something that was just completely random, really,” the wife said.
The husband and wife said their sense of security is shattered.
“We were both just shocked,” the wife said. “I‘ve heard of it happening but we just didn’t expect it to happen to us.”
It’s the latest attack on Teslas that have happened in the Pittsburgh area and nationwide amid a flurry of protests against the company’s CEO and White House advisor Elon Musk.
“I think sometimes people feel whenever extreme things are happening that are out of our control, extreme measures should be taken, and I’m not saying I agree with that,” said Lexi of Forest Hills.
On March 29, a person is seen on video keying the side of a Tesla in a parking lot in Robinson. That car’s owner told Channel 11 that the couple responsible turned themselves in.
In West Mifflin, Police Chief Gregory McCullock said they identified the woman accused of spray painting a Cybertruck on April 7 and will soon face charges.
Channel 11′s Antoinette DelBel showed people the latest video of vandalism.
“Obviously, the destruction of private property is not great. I think it’s definitely a political stance,” Lexi said. “I think it’s important that the person who creates Cybertrucks is acknowledged as someone who is a tyrant running along with our president ruining the country and all of its principals.”
Meantime, the family whose Tesla was violently targeted is hopeful the vandal will be caught.
“Damaging a vehicle doesn’t just impact the property,” the wife said. “It impacts a real person and with today’s technology, it’s not going to go unnoticed. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth them getting in trouble either. There are other ways to let out your frustrations.”
Channel 11 has reached out to Pittsburgh police about the latest Tesla attack and are waiting to hear back.
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