Photo: u/bmh669 via Reddit
Messing with a Tesla can put you behind bars, thanks to its many cameras that continuously record videos. A woman who keyed a Model 3 found this the hard way minutes after she committed the crime. Surprisingly, she was 100% sure no one could've known what she had done.
Many modern vehicles are equipped with cameras to help their various driver-assist systems function. Still, Tesla was the first carmaker who thought the cameras were useful for more than just offering input to the car's driver assist systems. That's how the famous Sentry Mode was created, allowing all external cameras to function like security cameras. They can also operate like dashboard cameras, recording videos both while driving and when the car is parked.
Despite these functions being offered for years on every Tesla EV, many people still don't know about them. People continue to vandalize Teslas as if they can get away with it and later swear they didn't do anything. Well, thanks to the good video quality offered by the onboard cameras, it's easy to identify people who keyed a Tesla or indulged in other less-than-orthodox activities. Testament to that are countless videos shared on social media.
A recent video shared on Reddit shows a woman keying a Tesla after she thought a Model 3 owner stole her parking spot. Unaware of the Sentry Mode recording the car's surroundings, she waits until the owner leaves the vehicle and then keys it all along the passenger side. After the Model 3 owner showed the video to the police, she got arrested for felony vandalism.
The Tesla Model 3 owner shares that the woman caught on camera keying his car was parked at the side of the road, apparently waiting to back up against traffic and park in the spot where another vehicle was leaving. As he couldn't figure out what the car was doing there, the Model 3 owner took the spot as it became available. That's when a heated verbal exchange happened, although the Tesla owner walked away.
When he returned to the car, his wife noticed a huge scratch from the tail light to the front passenger fender, just above the wheel well. The funny thing is that the woman keyed the car all the way to the repeater camera but still didn't realize she was recorded doing it. The owner immediately checked the Sentry Mode video, and he could see her clearly. He started looking for her and found her eating with her family at a restaurant nearby. As he confronted the lady in front of her family, she denied wrongdoing, not believing she was recorded on video.
The Model 3 owner called the police and let the fate follow its course. Minutes later, the woman left the scene in handcuffs. Since the damage to the car was estimated at more than $8,000, she was charged with felony vandalism instead of misdemeanor vandalism. Now, she faces up to three years in a state prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or both.
Despite these functions being offered for years on every Tesla EV, many people still don't know about them. People continue to vandalize Teslas as if they can get away with it and later swear they didn't do anything. Well, thanks to the good video quality offered by the onboard cameras, it's easy to identify people who keyed a Tesla or indulged in other less-than-orthodox activities. Testament to that are countless videos shared on social media.
A recent video shared on Reddit shows a woman keying a Tesla after she thought a Model 3 owner stole her parking spot. Unaware of the Sentry Mode recording the car's surroundings, she waits until the owner leaves the vehicle and then keys it all along the passenger side. After the Model 3 owner showed the video to the police, she got arrested for felony vandalism.
The Tesla Model 3 owner shares that the woman caught on camera keying his car was parked at the side of the road, apparently waiting to back up against traffic and park in the spot where another vehicle was leaving. As he couldn't figure out what the car was doing there, the Model 3 owner took the spot as it became available. That's when a heated verbal exchange happened, although the Tesla owner walked away.
When he returned to the car, his wife noticed a huge scratch from the tail light to the front passenger fender, just above the wheel well. The funny thing is that the woman keyed the car all the way to the repeater camera but still didn't realize she was recorded doing it. The owner immediately checked the Sentry Mode video, and he could see her clearly. He started looking for her and found her eating with her family at a restaurant nearby. As he confronted the lady in front of her family, she denied wrongdoing, not believing she was recorded on video.
The Model 3 owner called the police and let the fate follow its course. Minutes later, the woman left the scene in handcuffs. Since the damage to the car was estimated at more than $8,000, she was charged with felony vandalism instead of misdemeanor vandalism. Now, she faces up to three years in a state prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or both.
PSA for vandals: Teslas have cameras on all sides recording shenanigans.
— Matthew Donegan-Ryan (@MatthewDR) September 22, 2023
The woman below thought a @Tesla Model 3 owner stole her parking spot and keyed his car.
Sentry mode caught her in the act, she got arrested for felony vandalism after being found eating nearby.… pic.twitter.com/4Oj3wC8oE0
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