Elderly woman accused of keying Tesla in Queensland train car park
‘I’m just astounded.’
An elderly woman has been accused of deliberately keying a Tesla in a Queensland train car park, with the entire incident captured on the vehicle’s built-in security cameras.
Owner Lindsey Hay says she has no idea who the woman is or why she would target her car at Petrie station, north of Brisbane.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Elderly woman caught keying Tesla after match
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I’m just astounded that someone would just, out of the blue, scratch someone’s car,” Hay said.
“I think everyone wants to know just why. I have no reason why they would do that.”
The footage shows nothing suspicious about the woman’s body language until she deliberately drags a key across the Tesla’s paintwork.
Hay says she and the alleged vandal never crossed paths in the car park, missing each other by minutes.
She didn’t discover the damage until the next day during her routine review of the car’s security cameras.
“Teslas have probably got probably the best car security system built in from factory. It’s way more likely that you’re going to get caught,” CarExpert’s Alborz Fallah said.
The incident happened after Saturday night’s Broncos-Dolphins showdown at Suncorp Stadium.
The alleged culprit had just finished her shift ushering footy fans out of the stadium and was still in uniform when she allegedly keyed the car at the suburban train station.
Marketing experts say the incident could be symptomatic of Tesla’s declining reputation, with the vehicles becoming targets for those angry at the company’s trillionaire boss Elon Musk.
“Tesla could remind you of Elon Musk. Tesla could be a political symbol. Tesla could be a social symbol,” Dr Rajat Roy from Bond University said.
“They’ve become a lightning rod for anger and resentment against Tesla’s trillionaire boss.”
Hay says as bad as it looked on camera, the damage could have been worse.
“I’m hoping it will just buff out,” she said.
The woman responsible faces the possibility of being sacked from her job and charged by police.
“I would really like her just to take ownership of her actions,” Hay said.
Originally published on 7NEWS
