Kansas A 19-year-old Kansas City man, Owen McIntire, is facing federal charges after allegedly hurling Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Missouri, damaging vehicles and charging stations during an attack in March.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges on April 18, revealing the incident occurred while McIntire was home for spring break.
Kansas Investigators said McIntire used homemade incendiary devices to target Tesla property, setting a Cybertruck ablaze and causing the fire to spread to a second vehicle and two charging stations before emergency services contained the blaze.
Kansas Court documents reveal that police recovered one unbroken Molotov cocktail next to a burning Cybertruck on March 17.
The device was constructed from a glass apple cider vinegar bottle, gasoline, and a towel—components commonly used in improvised firebombs.
Video footage from Tesla’s security system, nearby businesses, and eyewitnesses led authorities to identify McIntire as the suspect.
One witness described a person matching McIntire’s appearance carrying a white, rectangular object and fleeing the scene after being shouted at.
GPS data from McIntire’s phone also placed him at the dealership at the time of the attack, further solidifying the case.
Federal officials emphasized the seriousness of the incident. “This wasn’t simple vandalism—it was a deliberate and dangerous arson attack,” said Dan Driscoll, Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in a strong statement, warned against further attacks on Tesla properties, calling them acts of “domestic terrorism.”
Although that charge has not officially been filed against McIntire, Bondi signaled that future incidents could be prosecuted under such statutes.
The device left at the scene bore clear signs of ignition—burn marks on both the glass bottle and the cloth used as a wick.
As of now, McIntire has not retained legal counsel.
Rising Tensions Over Tesla and DOGE
These incidents are widely seen as backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal agency created by President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
Musk, who also serves as a top White House adviser, has attracted controversy over massive federal layoffs carried out under DOGE’s restructuring plans.
The agency itself, however, continues to expand—recently announcing a doubling of its workforce from 100 to 200 employees, mostly comprised of young engineers aged 19 to 24.
Protests have erupted nationwide, and some demonstrators have even mockingly referred to Musk as “President Musk.”
Town halls have been packed with angry citizens, and Tesla dealerships have become frequent targets for arson, graffiti, and vandalism in multiple states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas.
While Musk has largely brushed off the criticism, referring to DOGE as a “revolution bigger than the American Revolution,” federal officials are treating the wave of attacks on Tesla as a serious national threat.
FBI Director Patel said law enforcement is committed to tracking down and prosecuting those who engage in such violent acts.
No Plea Deal Expected for McIntire
“Crimes have consequences,” Blanche said.
If convicted, McIntire faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison.
As tensions continue to mount around Musk’s role in government and Tesla’s place at the center of that controversy, federal authorities remain on high alert for similar incidents.
For now, the case against Owen McIntire underscores the Justice Department’s hardline approach to what they describe as politically motivated attacks against one of the world’s most polarizing tech figures.