A cheeky shopper has been caught tinkering with a parked car in a popular Westfield, unaware of the nearby cameras recording his every move.
The man was caught dragging a key down the side of a car, believed to be a Tesla, at the Westfield Marion Shopping Center in Adelaide’s south on Monday.
The suspected vandal, wearing dark gray trousers and a light gray Everlast hooded top, looked in both directions to see if anyone was watching before keying the car.
And while the camera on the side of the car captured the man’s back, the rear camera captured the man’s face as he walked along the side.
Westfield said the owner of the vehicle reported the incident to center management, but SA Police have not yet received an official report.
The incident is the latest in a wave of key incidents across Australia, with more expensive electric vehicles often targeted.
In another similar incident, a 77-year-old man was charged with destroying or damaging property after being caught by the owner, David Shannon, while tinkering with an electric car.
Mr Shannon shared footage of the man dragging a key over the side of his Tesla parked in Queanbeyan in the ACT on September 19.
The customer was captured tinkering with the car by the vehicle’s outward-facing camera (photo)
He approached the car, believed to be a Tesla, in broad daylight at Westfield Marion (photo)
An investigation led officers to a nearby home on September 24 and charges were subsequently filed.
The 77-year-old will appear at Queanbeyan Local Court on November 11.
Last year, Raymond and Barbara Edward were caught on dashcam keying both a Tesla and a BMW at Brookside Shopping Center in Brisbane.
The pair claimed it was ‘out of character’ and that they did it because they thought they were being cut off by the car in traffic.
Mr Edwards was ordered to pay $2,443 in damages, while Barbara was hit with an $897 restitution charge.
In March, an elderly man was caught working on a parked car in the parking lot of Melbourne’s Uni Hill shopping center.
In 2020, a woman was also filmed tinkering with a Tesla and said it was parked in an accessible parking lot when it shouldn’t have been.