A man suspected of scratching an “X” on a Tesla Model 3 with a box cutter in Miami’s Little Haiti has been taken into custody, according to Miami police.
Frantz Brandt, 70, was arrested Thursday after being spotted by police at a bus stop at NW 2 Avenue and NW 64 Street.
He’s been charged with criminal mischief.
James Lipari, whose Model 3 Performance Tesla was vandalized just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday, July 20, on Northeast 59th Street said it was caught on video by the vehicle’s onboard cameras.
Tesla vandalism caught on camera
Lipari had parked one street away from a nearby event when his Tesla’s Sentry Pro app sent him a push notification.
“I started a free trial of an app called Sentry Pro, which gives you a push notification to your device if Sentry is activated,” Lipari said.
Video from the vehicle’s security system shows a man approaching, pulling out what appears to be a box cutter, and dragging it across the car’s front end twice.
Lipari said the video also shows the man vandalizing a nearby truck in the same way.
Police said area residents identified the man as Brandt because he is known to frequent the Little Haiti Cultural Center at 212 NE 59 Terrace.
Pricey repair at Tesla
Lipari said he brought his vehicle to Tesla who estimated it would cost more than $1,200 to repair it.
He said they told him that not only did they have to repair the hood where it was damaged, but two other panels so that the color would blend in.
