MESA, AZ — Mesa police have made an arrest after a Tesla dealership was vandalized Monday morning.
Emergency crews were first called to the scene near Southern Avenue and Sossaman Road around 2 a.m.
One vehicle, a Tesla Cybertruck, near the building was found to be on fire, and firefighters were able to extinguish the flames without further damaging other vehicles or the interior of the building.
Mesa officials told ABC15 crews at the scene that the fire was being investigated as possible arson.
Later on Monday, officials announced they arrested 35-year-old Ian Moses and booked him into jail for arson of a structure and property.
During an investigation, detectives noticed a suspicious van parked near Southern and Rowan. Officers saw a bicyclist ride up to the vehicle and open the door. An officer contacted the bicyclist, who was identified as Moses.
The Tesla Security Center provided a photo of the arson suspect and officers were able to match the photo to Moses, according to Mesa police.
Further charges are pending.
Video from the scene also showed the misspelled word "THEIF," painted on the building.
Investigators with the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, Gilbert Fire and Rescue, Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and the ATF are looking into the incident.
No injuries were reported.
Multiple recent investigations have taken place across the country involving vandalism and fires involving Teslas and Cybertrucks.
A 19-year-old college student is facing charges related to an incident at a Tesla Center in Kansas City in which two Cybertrucks were set on fire in March, according to the Department of Justice.
A man who set fire to Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas and who painted the word “resist” for authorities to find at the scene was arrested last month.
Police in Austin, Texas, investigated several incendiary devices found at a Tesla dealership last month.
The string of attacks against Tesla cars and facilities across the country — from Seattle to South Carolina — had previously gotten the attention of President Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has called them “nothing short of domestic terrorism.”
It's unclear if the incident in Mesa is connected to any of the nationwide investigations.
