A Kansas man is facing criminal charges after allegedly vandalizing a Tesla in Wichita. The family that owns the electric vehicle says they purchased the Tesla as the best option for their 18-year-old disabled daughter.
Johnathan F. Erhart was charged with one count of criminal damage to property on Friday, after allegedly causing an estimated $17,000 in damageto a family’s Tesla while they were dining at a Wichita restaurant, according to a report by the Wichita Eagle.
If convicted, the 30-year-old man could be sentenced to five to 17 months in prison, the outlet reported.
The family that owns the Tesla noted that they have chosen the car manufacturer due to the vehicle’s automated driving function, which helps their teenage daughter — who uses a wheelchair — drive more easily.
The family believes their Tesla was vandalized because of political beliefs surrounding the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, and his involvement in President Donald Trump’s administration, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Damaging a personal vehicle does not affect Elon,” the teenage driver told KAKE News last week, adding, “If anything, it’s giving him [Musk] more money to fix the vehicle that you damaged. It’s not damaging who you’re thinking it is.”
“It felt really disappointing that this is happening in such a great country, a great state,” she added. “For this to be happening in Kansas, of all places, is super shocking.”
The 18-year-old, who uses a wheelchair due to spinal muscular atrophy, was leaving a restaurant with her mother, brother, and boyfriend on March 20, when her mother noticed the brand new family Tesla was keyed.
Upon further inspection, they saw the car had been keyed on both the passenger and driver side.
After returning home, the family reviewed the Tesla’s video footage and saw that a man who had been sitting at the table next to them at the restaurant, had left to key their vehicle, before going back inside the establishment.
The man then went back outside again to key the other side of the Tesla, according to video footage and police. The Tesla’s built-in camera feature was able to catch not only the vandal’s face, but the license plate on his vehicle as well.
The teen told KAKE News on Thursday that she hopes the suspect will be ordered to pay for the damage to the Tesla. She also noted that her and her family did not talk about politics while dining one table over from the man at the restaurant.
Erhart’s arrest makes for the latest apprehension of a Tesla-related vandal suspect amid a series of assaults against Musk’s company across the country since New Year’s Day.
Recently, Florida woman Yamaris Marrero was arrested and charged with felony vandalism after allegedly attacking a Tesla with a “large wad” of chewing gum that caused nearly $3,000 in damage to the electric vehicle. The disgusting attack was also captured by the EV’s built-in cameras.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
