Tesla exposes Aussie man’s ‘sick’ act

A Tesla has exposed a Sydney man’s unbelievable act thanks to the vehicle’s built-in security cameras.

A Tesla has exposed a man’s ‘sick’ act thanks to the vehicle’s in-built security cameras.

An unidentified man has been caught appearing to brazenly vandalise a woman’s car in the Sydney suburb of Lindfield while it was parked on a street last week.

Taking her frustrations to Facebook, the owner explained that she had parked on a residential street near the train station while she went to work.

On her return, she claims she found that her car had been vandalised, with her back number plate and left wing mirror having been intentionally damaged.

Thankfully, she was able to tune in to the EV’s built-in security cameras – also known as ‘Sentry Mode’ on a Tesla – to review the footage and was shocked at what she discovered.

The man was holding a leaf blower during one of the acts. Picture: Facebook

The man appeared to rip off the license plate. Picture: Facebook

“This is the reason that I keep Sentry Mode on at all times!” she wrote on social media, referring to the car’s ability to detect and record motion near it.

“Just a normal day street parking close to the train station. One of the house owners did this.”

In the series of clips, a man can be seen checking his surroundings before approaching the car holding a leaf blower, appearing to damage the number plate and wing mirror.

He was later caught targeting the car again later in the evening, appearing to bend the number plate even more.

The Tesla owner said she contacted police about the incident.

People in the comments were outraged by the man’s bold act, stating it was “outright vandalism” and questioning why someone would go out of their way to do this.

“What is wrong with people? This is just awful behaviour,” one commented, while others described the act as “sick” and the vandal a “grub”.

News.com.au has contacted police for comment.

The acts were caught on the car's 'Sentry Mode'. Picture: Facebook

This is not the first time Tesla cameras have caught people engaging in criminal acts.

Earlier this year, an elderly Brisbane couple pleaded guilty to wilful damage of luxury cars.

It came after they were caught keying Teslas at Brisbane’s Brookside Shopping Centre in October 2023.

Raymond Edwards, 70, and his wife Barbara Edwards, 70, were caught on the damaged Tesla’s on-board cameras, with the footage showing the pair weaving through the parked cars before keying the electric car with aim to cause damage.

Brisbane Magistrates Court was told Mr Edwards had also keyed a white BMW parked next to the Tesla.

Defence lawyer, Bruce Peters, said his two clients were earlier in the day allegedly “almost forced” into a power pole by a white Tesla and a white BMW about 800m from the shopping centre.

The woman was shocked by what she discovered. Picture: Facebook

Mr Peters said the Edwards then “wrongly took (their frustration) out on who they thought were the culprits”.

“Once they regained their composure, they continued onto the Brookside Shopping Centre and lo and behold, the two cars that they thought were the ones that cut them off – a white BMW and a white Tesla – were parked adjacent to one another” Mr Peters said.

“They took their frustrations out on the cars.”

On a Tesla, ‘Sentry Mode’ is a feature that allows car owners to monitor activities around the vehicle when it is parked and locked.

When suspicious motion is detected, the vehicle will react depending on the severity of the threat.

A person is even able to honk the horn, flash the headlights and even speak through the Tesla’s exterior speaker if they need to tell someone to go away.

Originally published as Tesla exposes Aussie man’s ‘sick’ act