KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City man attending college in Boston was arrested and charged with setting fire to two Tesla Cybertrucks and damaging charging stations at a Tesla facility in Missouri, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Owen McIntire, 19, was taken into custody and made his initial court appearance in Massachusetts U.S. District Court after being charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire to property used in interstate commerce, according to an unsealed criminal complaint.
Federal authorities say McIntire used Molotov cocktails to ignite a blaze that damaged two Cybertrucks — valued at over $100,000 each — and two electric vehicle charging stations outside the Kansas City Tesla Center on March 17. Police responding to the scene around 11:16 p.m. discovered a grey Cybertruck in flames and an unbroken incendiary device nearby.
“This wasn’t vandalism — it was a violent criminal act,” said Acting ATF Director Dan Driscoll. “ATF will not tolerate those who incite political violence in our communities.”
ATF agents, working with FBI field offices in Kansas City and Boston, recovered and analyzed the incendiary devices used in the attack. Officials confirmed that the fire spread from one Cybertruck to another and also destroyed two nearby charging units, each valued at about $550.
DOJ, FBI vow to prosecute similar attacks
“This is the second arrest this week of a suspect charged with targeting Tesla,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These actions are dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi warned of stiff consequences: “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed that message, saying, “The people behind these violent and dangerous attacks on private property will face decades in prison — we will not make deals and we will not negotiate.”
Key Points
- Owen McIntire, 19, is charged with firebombing two Tesla Cybertrucks in Kansas City.
- Investigators recovered Molotov cocktails used in the March 17 arson attack.
- Federal officials say the act caused over $213,000 in vehicle and equipment damages.