OAN Staff Abril Elfi
9:50 AM – Saturday, April 19, 2025
A Boston college student has been arrested after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in Missouri during spring break.
Advertisement
On Friday, Owen McIntire, 19, was arrested and appeared in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
According to court documents, McIntire faces federal charges of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire to property involved in interstate commerce.
A Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCMOPD) officer patrolling near the Kansas City Tesla Center on March 17th reported seeing smoke coming from a Cybertruck parked in the dealership lot.
According to an affidavit, the officer discovered an intact Molotov cocktail near the burning vehicle just before midnight.
The Kansas City Fire Department responded and put out the blaze, which had spread from the Cybertruck to a second vehicle in the lot, court records show. The damaged Cybertrucks were listed for sale at $105,485 and $107,485.
Two Tesla charging stations, each valued at approximately $550, were also damaged in the incident.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) analyzed evidence collected at the scene, including the Molotov cocktails allegedly used in the attack.
Surveillance video captured a suspect, believed to be McIntire, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and igniting and throwing the incendiary devices at the vehicles before walking away.
The hat was later recovered near the scene. DNA testing confirmed a match to a male individual.
“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: You will not evade us,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
FBI Director Kash Patel stated this was the second arrest within a week involving attacks targeting Tesla facilities.
“These actions are dangerous, they are illegal and we are going to arrest those responsible,” Patel said. “We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below
