College Student Arrested for Alleged Molotov Cocktail Attack on Tesla Dealership in Missouri

A 19-year-old college student, OWEN MCINTIRE of Kansas City, was arrested by federal authorities in Boston after allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in Missouri while home on spring break. McIntire made an initial court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.

McIntire, a student in Boston, faces charges of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire of property used in interstate commerce, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Missouri.

The incident occurred on March 17 when a Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCMOPD) officer near the Kansas City Tesla Center observed smoke rising from a Cybertruck in the parking lot. The officer discovered an intact Molotov cocktail near the burning vehicle just before midnight, as detailed in an affidavit.

Kansas City Fire Department crews responded to extinguish the fire, which had spread from the Cybertruck to a second vehicle in the lot. The damaged Cybertrucks were priced at $105,485 and $107,485. Additionally, two Tesla charging stations, each valued at approximately $550, were also damaged.

Agents and forensic experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered and analyzed key evidence, including the Molotov cocktails allegedly used in the arson. Authorities later identified video footage of a person believed to be McIntire, wearing a large hat, lighting the devices and throwing them at the Cybertrucks before walking away. The hat was found near the dealership, with DNA evidence confirming it matched McIntire’s.

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL PAMELA BONDI issued a stern warning: “Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: You will not evade us. You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL emphasized the seriousness of the crime, stating, “These actions are dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible. We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”

The FBI Kansas City and Boston field offices, the ATF, and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are actively investigating the incident.

**Sources:**
[FBI Investigating After Washington Tesla Charging Station Damaged Following ‘Loud Noise’](https://www.fbi.gov)
[Tesla Vehicles, Dealerships Targeted with Arson, Gunfire and Vandalism in at Least 9 States: FBI](https://www.fbi.gov)
[Tesla Vehicles, Charging Stations Targeted as Protesters Denounce Doge, Elon Musk](https://www.fbi.gov)