New Mexico man charged with arson attacks on Tesla dealership, GOP office
A New Mexico man has been charged in connection to arson attacks on a Tesla dealership and an office of the state chapter of the Republican Party.
Federal prosecutors filed charges against Jamison Wagner, a 40-year-old resident of Albuquerque, last Saturday in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.
Wagner is accused of setting fires at the Tesla Albuquerque Showroom in Bernalillo in February and at the Republican Party of New Mexico Party Office in Albuquerque late last month, according to the court documents.
In the Tesla attack, two vehicles were damaged by fire. Additionally, graffiti was spraypainted on the building and some of the cars, which included the messages "Die Elon," "Tesla Nazi Inc" and "Die Tesla Nazi."
"In several instances, some letters in the phrases were replaced with symbols resembling a swastika," states the criminal complaint. "The damaged vehicles in the parking lot were spray painted with similar swastika symbols on the windshields, windows, or body panels."
"Several Tesla vehicles also had mechanical damage to the windows, consistent with attempted or successful forced entry."
During the GOP office attack, Wagner allegedly set fire to the front entrance of the facility, heavily damaging the front door and the lobby area. He also spray-painted graffiti that included a stenciled "ICE=KKK" on a wall.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Investigators eventually connected the two events based on the spraypaint and types of incendiary devices used, with surveillance footage depicting an individual who resembled Wagner, as well as other footage showing what looked to be his car at both places.
During a search of his residence last week, investigators found materials Wagner owned that indicated that he was responsible for the arson and vandalism, including a stencil board with the message "ICE=KKK," homemade incendiary devices and a hoodie with red spraypaint on it.
"Let this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence," said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement issued Monday. "We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences."
The arrest was "part of the FBI's aggressive efforts to investigate and hold accountable those who have targeted Tesla facilities in various states across the country," Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
"Under Attorney General Bondi's leadership, we will continue to locate and arrest those responsible for these acts of domestic terrorism, and the FBI will work with partners at the Department of Justice to ensure such lawbreakers face justice," stated Patel.
Over the past few months, several violent attacks have been carried out against Tesla dealerships across the United States due to Tesla owner Elon Musk's working with the Trump administration to cut programs and lay off large numbers of federal employees.
On New Year's Day, 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger exploded a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, injuring several people. He killed himself shortly before the explosion.
An investigation later revealed that Livelsberger likely committed the suicidal action because of PTSD issues rather than any political grievances, according to The Associated Press.
