Teslas targeted in keying attacks, offenders caught on camera

More people have been caught on camera keying Teslas, seemingly oblivious to the fact the cars have a Sentry Mode that can capture footage on offenders.

Reddit user Jellyfish_Winter posted their Tesla’s security footage to the r/mildlyinfuriating community, which shows a man approaching the parked car in a California carpark alone with what appears to be a sharp object in his hand.

He then walks the length of the car with the object pressed firmly against its bodywork, which according to Jellyfish_Winter left a mark deep into the car’s bodywork.

The user says “to add insult to injury”, the man appears to be in need of a new belt – watch the below embed at your discretion!

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In the post, the user says that they “didn’t park like a jerk, didn’t block anyone, didn’t cut anyone off” and that “overall the parking lot was pretty empty”.

“We parked and like 10 minutes later, this guy decided to key up our car. Not lightly either, it’s deep into the sheet metal or whatever,” they wrote.

“At the end of the day, it’s just minor annoyance and nothing was stolen or hurt.”

Jellyfish_Winter says they’re seeking a repair quote for their Tesla, and has also been liaising with insurance since filing a police report.

Teslas in Australia haven’t been spared from keying attacks either. A video posted to the Tesla Owners AustraliaFacebook group last week showed a lady appearing to key a Tesla parked in the Melbourne suburb of Epping.

The poster, Ibrahim Can, said he found a “deep scratch from the rear passenger door all the way through to the left guard”, and his Tesla’s security footage from late October revealed that an “elderly lady” appears to have keyed his car.

A man in Sydney was charged earlier this year for causing more than $10,000 worth of damage in a series of keying incidents. Of the six cars he allegedly keyed, three were Teslas.

Tesla’s Sentry Mode system utilises the car’s array of cameras to monitor its surroundings and then record any potential threats around the parked car.

MORE: Tesla camera catches alleged serial keying vandal