A Salem man is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a local Tesla dealership in January and returning a month later to fire into the showroom, according to federal prosecutors.
Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, was arraigned in federal court Wednesday on a single charge of possessing an unregistered destructive device.
Salem police responded about 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 20 to a report of a person throwing Molotov cocktails at Tesla cars at the local dealership on Mission Street, according to a federal affidavit.
Police found a fire on the sidewalk in front of the dealership and another fire at the back of a Tesla car parked in front of the building when they arrived, the affidavit said.
A witness reported that he saw someone walking toward the dealership, pulling a collapsible wagon. He saw a man pull out a bag in front of the dealership, light an object on fire and then throw the object at a red Tesla SUV parked in front, according to the affidavit. The man also threw an object through the showroom’s window, the affidavit said.
Surveillance footage showed the man lighting a Molotov cocktail-style device and throwing it at a Tesla Cybertruck parked in front of the Tesla business, the affidavit said. He threw another explosive at the building and one at the parked red Tesla SUV, the footage revealed.
At another point, the intruder grabbed what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle with a suppressor and point it in the direction of the witness as the witness drove off, the affidavit said.
About a month later, police were called back to the same dealership on a report of damage from apparent bullets fired into the showroom and striking a car, the affidavit said.
Surveillance footage from a patrol car on Feb. 19 captured a vehicle parked near the dealership with a man firing into the building and at least one car at 3:53 a.m., the affidavit said. A security guard was on the premises but didn’t hear gunshots, leading investigators to believe a suppression device was used to mask the shots, the affidavit said.
Investigators discovered the vehicle in the video was registered to Lansky and later observed it at his home in Salem.
Investigators said they linked Lansky to the property damage in January and February.
Tesla showrooms and dealerships across the country have been targeted with protests and vandalism since Donald Trump became president and chose billionaire Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, to help push his agenda.
Tesla Motors estimated it suffered approximately $500,000 in damage as a result of the attacks. Seven Teslas were damaged, with one completely destroyed.
The Molotov cocktails were made from glass wine bottles and filled with ignitable liquid, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Styrofoam material was placed in the bottles and cloth was wrapped around the base of each device. Four unused devices were left on the property.
Lansky was arrested Tuesday in Salem. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Jolie A. Russo and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial.
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Salem police investigated the case.
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