Tesla security camera catches despicable act outside a Sydney pub: ‘This is atrocious’

Wild footage captured the moment a man switched on a Tesla in an upmarket suburb.

The electric vehicle worth $55,000 was parked on the street outside the Rose Bay Hotel in Rose Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, on Sunday.

An older man with white hair and a beard was seen around the corner of South Head Road and Dover Road.

The man, who was wearing a white T-shirt, a dark cap, dark shorts and sandals, then looked around left and right before walking to the car.

After one last look around, the man then used the key in his hand to scratch the very expensive vehicle.

But unknown to the man, the entire event was captured on Tesla’s Sentry video system and the footage was posted to social media platform X by the owner’s son.

“The police will find him soon,” he wrote.

The video has been viewed 85,000 times, with social media users mocking the man.

‘This is horrible. I hope they find him soon,” one commenter replied.

“It’s a clear photo… Police and the public should be able to identify him within a few hours,” wrote another.

A third said they couldn’t believe that (man’s) brutality. Some on this earth are downright miserable and hateful.”

A NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that “an investigation was ongoing”.

“Officers from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced an investigation at approximately 9.40am on Sunday 22 December 2024 after a vehicle was keyed while parked in Dover Street, Rose Bay,” she said.

The latest incident of a Tesla being damaged by elderly people follows a case where a woman vandalized a car in Melbourne in October.

Coles safety adviser Ibrahim Can had parked his Tesla at a shopping center in the northern suburb of Epping, but when he returned he discovered a ‘deep’ scratch extending from the passenger door to the left of the bumper.

He checked the car’s Sentry security camera, which showed a woman holding a green bag and dragging a key down the side of the vehicle.

The man (photo) was captured with Tesla’s Sentry video recording system

“I looked at the footage and realized an older lady had keyed my car,” Can wrote on a Facebook post.

Social media users wondered why Teslas were targeted.

‘What’s with all the hate against Teslas in Australia? These videos are posted weekly. What a shame,” said one commentator.

‘What the hell is wrong with all these old people tinkering with cars for no reason? Like every car now needs to have these cameras built in,” wrote another.

“This type of behavior is on the rise and is far too common here in Australia. Have we lost our ability to respect others like we used to,” another added.

Some attributed the disrespect to age.

‘It’s always boomers? You’ve already won every lottery in your life, is there anything more to harm?’ someone asked.

‘I agree. It’s disgusting. Never young people. Always boomers,” said another.

‘Maybe Tesla is a symbol of a new generation of vehicles. They are jealous because the younger generations can do better,” one man surmised.

But another wrote: ‘She doesn’t look like she won a lottery and it’s pure jealousy on her part which has nothing to do with the age demographic.’