


An Oregon man was arrested on Tuesday and accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla service center.
Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, was charged with illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device after federal prosecutors say he launched two separate attacks at a “local car dealership” in Salem this year, the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon announced on Wednesday.
Prosecutors did not mention any political motivations behind the alleged attack. However, Lansky’s arrest comes just days after a Tesla charging station near Boston was set on fire in a suspected arson incident. Other suspected arson incidents targeting Tesla have occurred in recent days in Colorado and Germany.
Meanwhile, peaceful protests have been happening outside Tesla stores across the U.S. The demonstrations, held in opposition to the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, are part of what’s become known as the “Tesla Takedown” movement.
The movement aims to bring down the company’s stock prices by putting pressure on shareholders and Tesla vehicle owners in response to Musk overseeing President Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is tasked with making drastic cuts to federal spending.
The facility Lansky allegedly targeted was a Tesla service center, according to a criminal complaint obtained by HuffPost. Salem police officers were first called to the Tesla center in the early morning of Jan. 20 after receiving a report of an individual launching makeshift incendiary devices at Tesla vehicles.
When officers arrived, they observed multiple fires at the dealership, including a Tesla vehicle ablaze.

A witness who was charging his car at the time told officers he saw a person light an object on fire before throwing it at a red Tesla SUV, then launch another one into the showroom window, according to the complaint. Authorities described the incendiary devices as being made from glass wine bottles filled with an ignitable liquid, stuffed with styrofoam-like material and wrapped in cloth.
The witness left the scene, but surveillance footage cited in the complaint allegedly showed the suspect brandishing an AR-15 style rifle with a suppressor and pointing it toward the witness as they drove away. The suspect then moved on to launch more incendiary devices at two vehicles before leaving, according to the complaint.
A total of seven Tesla vehicles were damaged from the attack, with one vehicle being destroyed, authorities said in the complaint. The Tesla center’s general manager told detectives that the incident caused $500,000 in damages.
The second attack at the Tesla center happened on Feb. 19. This time, authorities alleged that Lansky fired multiple rounds of bullets at the business in the early morning, according to the complaint. A security guard told officers he did not hear the gunshots, leading them to believe Lansky used a suppressor.
Officers began looking at Lansky as the suspect after lifting his fingerprints from the incendiary devices left at the scene and reviewing his firearm registration, according to the complaint.
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An attorney listed as representing Lansky did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.