A 19-year-old college student, OWEN MCINTIRE of Kansas City, was arrested by federal authorities in Boston after allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in Missouri during his spring break. McIntire made his initial court appearance on Friday in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
McIntire, who attends college in Boston, faces charges of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire to property used in interstate commerce, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Missouri.
The incident occurred on March 17 when a Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCMOPD) officer near the Kansas City Tesla Center noticed smoke rising from a Cybertruck in the parking lot. The officer discovered an intact Molotov cocktail near the burning vehicle just before midnight, as detailed in an affidavit. The fire, which spread to a second vehicle, was extinguished by the Kansas City Fire Department. The damaged Cybertrucks were priced at $105,485 and $107,485, and two Tesla charging stations, each valued at approximately $550, were also affected.
Agents and forensic experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered and analyzed evidence, including the Molotov cocktails allegedly used in the arson. Authorities later identified video footage of a person believed to be McIntire, wearing a large hat, lighting the devices and throwing them at the Cybertrucks before leaving the scene. The hat, found near the dealership, was confirmed through DNA evidence to belong to McIntire.
U.S. Attorney General PAMELA BONDI issued a stern warning: “Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: You will not evade us. You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
FBI Director KASH PATEL emphasized the seriousness of the crime, stating, “These actions are dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible. We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”
The FBI Kansas City and Boston field offices, the ATF, and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are actively investigating the incident.
**Sources:**
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