MYNORTHWEST NEWS

‘Sell your Nazi car’: Tesla owner harassed in Lynnwood road-rage incident as anti-Tesla attacks surge

Mar 21, 2025, 7:17 AM | Updated: 8:40 am

Lynnwood tesla...

Lynnwood City sign. (Photo: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest)

(Photo: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest)

A Tesla driver was harassed and cut off by another driver on the road in Lynnwood, describing the incident as both terrifying and unprovoked.

The incident occurred while the driver, Leigh, was on her way to a doctor’s appointment Wednesday morning. It started when another driver began honking behind her as she approached a red light. The second car, a white SUV, then cut her off and stopped in the middle of the road.

The driver then exited the SUV and began berating the Tesla driver in the middle of the road. Leigh described the incident as very threatening and harassing.

“He gets out and walks straight up to my door window. So I cracked my window and I said, ‘What? What is the problem?'” she told FOX 13. “He goes, ‘You need to sell your car. This is a Nazi car. You’re driving it, you need to sell your car.'”

According to Leigh, the driver who confronted her was wearing a camouflage jacket and a ski mask.

“Being in Seattle, climate’s important, our footprint’s important,” Leigh told FOX 13, explaining why she chose to buy a Tesla. “This seemed like the right move for our very busy family. We drive a lot, and it saves us on gas. Now it feels like a huge risk; it’s scary.”

Attacks against Tesla on the rise

Tesla owners have been victims of attacks, vandalism, and harassment since the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, became the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) within the Trump administration. According to the Justice Department, which is beginning to charge people for vandalizing or destroying Tesla vehicles, one suspect threw eight Molotov cocktails at a dealership in Salem, Oregon while another suspect attempted to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails in Loveland, Colorado. A third person “wrote profane messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations before lighting the charging stations on fire” in Charleston, South Carolina.

The car brand has even become a target internationally, as four Teslas were torched in Berlin, Germany.

Locally, six Teslas at a dealership in Lynnwood were vandalized with swastikas and profane language directly related to Elon Musk. In another instance, a man was seen pouring gasoline on the hood of a white Tesla and setting it on fire in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

MyNorthwest News

DHS immigration WA...

Manda Factor

WA AG Nick Brown backs legal challenge to DHS immigration arrest practices

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has joined a coalition supporting a legal challenge to the DHS's use of warrantless civil immigration arrests.

28 minutes ago

Snoqualmie Pass Closure...

MyNorthwest Staff

Westbound I-90 closing at Snoqualmie Pass for winter preparation

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has announced a temporary closure of all westbound lanes of I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass. WSDOT maintenance crews will be out starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday to perform winter maintenance preparations.

48 minutes ago

thurston toxic algae...

Lexi Herda, KIRO 7 News

Toxic algae found at four Thurston County lakes

Thurston County is warning the public to stay out of four of its lakes because of a toxic algae bloom.

1 hour ago

seattle police bodycam bite of seattle shooting...

MyNorthwest Staff

Teen suspect in Bite of Seattle shooting released to home detention

The 15-year-old suspect in the Bite of Seattle shooting was ordered released to electronic home detention Wednesday.

2 hours ago

Seattle taco burglary...

MyNorthwest Staff

Seattle taqueria ‘completely cleaned out’ after three consecutive nights of burglaries

A Columbia City taqueria, Taco City, has been burglarized three nights in a row and "completely cleaned out" this week.

3 hours ago

burien gun drugs arrest...

MyNorthwest Staff

Driver clocked at 70 mph in Burien leads police to drugs, guns and two arrests

A traffic stop for speeding in Burien netted two arrests, the seizure of various drugs, and the recovery of two firearms on Tuesday morning.

4 hours ago

‘Sell your Nazi car’: Tesla owner harassed in Lynnwood road-rage incident as anti-Tesla attacks surge