Tesla Cybertrucks may be “bulletproof,” but they’re certainly not Molotov cocktail-proof. A New York City man decided the best use of his Monday night would be to cover a Cybertruck with garbage and set it on fire. I cannot recommend this action.
Dwain Burr apparently dumped a garbage bag on the hood of the electric truck, parked on East 58th Street in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood. He placed what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail on the rear passenger tire, which set the truck on fire, according to the New York Post. The 40-year-old decided that wasn’t quite enough and chucked a second Molotov cocktail at the truck. A passerby saw what was happening and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, and luckily no one was injured.
Burr ran away, but after a search of the area, NYPD officers arrested him nearby. He was charged with arson, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, according to The Post. This looks to be his first arrest, and it’s not entirely clear why he targeted the Cybertruck.
I’d like to make it very clear that I don’t condone vandalism of any kind, even against a vehicle cloaked in dubious claims of its own imperviousness.Â
Not the first Tesla fire
Burr is hardly the first person to set a Tesla on fire in recent months. Following CEO Elon Musk’s hard shift to the right and backing of President Trump and other far-right leaders across the world, people have set out to burn Teslas.
Back in March, we told you about a slew of Tesla fires at dealerships that were being investigated as arson attacks. One involved a couple of Cybertruck catching fire just before midnight in Kansas City, Missouri. A similar situation arose in Las Vegas where a handful of Teslas were set ablaze.
Musk — shockingly — doesn’t love that people are setting his cars on fire. He took to X to say “This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong.” He also referred to these fires as “terrorism.” President Trump, Musk’s best buddy, says Tesla vandals will be tried for domestic terrorism.
This, of course, is exactly how our anti-terrorism laws are meant to be deployed, rather than — say — pursuing Far Right militia groups and ascendant neo-Nazi organization. We can all sleep better knowing the Trump DOJ has its priorities straight.
