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

pierce county motorcycle crash drunk...

James Lynch

Motorcyclist killed by suspected drunk driver while stopped at red light in Pierce County

A motorcyclist was killed Wednesday afternoon when a suspected drunk driver slammed into the back of his Harley-Davidson at a busy intersection in Pierce County.

42 minutes ago

Alaska Airlines seattle paris...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Alaska Airlines announces nonstop flights from Seattle to Athens and Paris

Alaska Airlines is adding two new nonstop flights from Seattle to Europe.

2 hours ago

starbucks lay off seattle...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Starbucks laying off more than 200 employees including those who declined Nashville move

Starbucks is laying off more than 200 employees – including those who declined to move to Nashville.

3 hours ago

missing hiker jakhobi hale seattle...

Frank Sumrall

Family of missing Seattle hiker seeks community support after 3-month search

An endangered 21-year-old man from Seattle has been missing since May, and his family is asking the local community for support in the search.

4 hours ago

longview masturbating daycare...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Longview Police: Man arrested for masturbating outside daycare

A 46-year-old Longview man was arrested yesterday morning after police said he exposed himself and masturbated outside a local daycare.

5 hours ago

Pike Place Market car-free vehicles...

MyNorthwest Staff

Pike Place Market could reopen to vehicles Monday through Thursday, starting Oct. 1

Seattle wants to bring some vehicle traffic back to Pike Place Market this fall and winter.

6 hours ago

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