Tesla owner wants harsher charges after vandal caught on video scratching car with box cutter

CBS News

a day ago

A Tesla owner in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood said a man used a box cutter to scratch his car and it was caught on video.
"It's frustrating. I don't know what he was thinking!" said James Lipari, whose Model 3 Performance Tesla was vandalized just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday on Northeast 59th Street.
Lipari had parked one street away from a nearby event when his Tesla's Sentry Pro app sent him a push notification.
"I started a free trial of an app called Sentry Pro, which gives you a push notification to your device if Sentry is activated," Lipari said.
Video from the vehicle's security system shows a man approaching, pulling out what appears to be a box cutter, and dragging it across the car's front end twice.
"The hood alone would cost around $1,200," Lipari said. After bringing the car to Tesla on Tuesday, he was told the repair cost could be even higher.
"He told me normally what they do is they'll repair not only the hood where it's damaged, but also the two other panels here, to kind of blend all the colors in. That's what makes it more costly."
The video also shows the man vandalizing a nearby truck in the same way.
"It just makes me think he's done this before," Lipari said.
Lipari filed a police report. So far, the incident is classified as criminal mischief under $1,000, but he wants it upgraded to a third-degree felony.
"It's important that people are aware that this gentleman is walking around not only with a box cutter in his pocket but also that he's just randomly targeting vehicles — and who knows what else," Lipari said.
The Miami Police Department is investigating.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).