The man doesn't run. Doesn't flinch. He checks over his shoulder once — fast —  and then drags something sharp along the side of a parked Tesla Model Y. Two seconds. No words, no hesitation. Then he keeps walking, small black bag in hand, like nothing happened.

The damage? Clear. The intent? Even clearer. But, the reasoning couldn't be more senseless.

The moment was caught on Sentry Mode footage in a Santa Clara, California, neighborhood, where the car had been parked at the time. Tesla's side camera captured the full shot: his clothes, his face, the keying itself. The owner shared the YouTube link on the "r/TeslaModelY" subreddit, likely hoping someone would recognize him. 

Tesla vandalism isn't that rare, and regardless of how anyone feels about the company's CEO, Elon Musk, almost everyone agrees that damaging someone else's property is not a great form of protest and just leads to environmental waste to address the damage.

It's generally foolish to try to vandalize a Tesla, too, as this driver's Sentry video proves. In many cases, Sentry Mode helped catch suspects quickly. One California driver pressed charges after footage led to an ID.

The pattern is familiar: The clip goes online, people react, and someone comes forward to say they recognize the vandal.

In another story, an EV driver returned to a public charging station to find it vandalized — but was undeterred from driving electric and was even able to charge, as the station had remained functional.

This time, the scratch appeared to run across the rear passenger door and up to the handle. The man looks toward a nearby house, keys the car, and keeps walking like it's nothing. Repairs for this generally cost hundreds to more than $1,000. The owner filed a police report but said insurance may not help, as he has a $500 deductible.

Keying a car might seem like a random occurrence, but it adds up. Public trust in EVs — and the places they're parked — matters. Even when it's done to a Tesla for reasons other than disdain for EVs, such as a protest against Musk's political activity, EV vandalism can slow the shift from gas and oil by causing the possibility to hover in some car buyers' minds.

A single perpetrator with a key can't undo all that progress. But it chips at the edges. 

One report explained how drivers using solar energy to charge their EVs are shrinking their costs and carbon footprints. Another explained why electric cars are still a better option than fuel-burning vehicles, even with the downsides of lithium mining.

And one story detailed how mining for battery materials, while messy, causes less long-term harm than fossil-fuel use. Another story captured what happened when a vandal destroyed an EV's charging port in full view of cameras.

Some of the top Reddit replies show a mix of frustration and resignation:

"That sucks! I just don't understand unprompted vandalism, especially in the Bay Area where there are Teslas everywhere! It's the Bay Area Toyota Corolla," said one user.

What do you worry about most during a power outage? The temperature in my home 🌡️ The food in my fridge 🥩 Not having any light 💡 Something else 😟 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Another guessed, "Might be someone that lives around there. Looks like he's getting home from work. He has a lunch bag." 

A third wrote, "You should post it on local neighborhood groups on social media. If you can ID the person, the police might actually do something."

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