Man Tries to Set Tesla Chargers on Fire, Accidentally Sets Himself on Fire As Well

As anti-Elon Musk sentiment continues to flare up, vandals are targeting his EV maker Tesla's Supercharger network.

As the Associated Press reports, a man burned down three chargers in a South Carolina parking lot after spray-painting the words "fuck Trump, long live the Ukraine" on the pavement next to them last week, in a clear reference to Musk and his close associate president Donald Trump cozying up to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

But his attack backfired, in a very literal way. After igniting crudely-made Molotov cocktails fashioned out of beer bottles, the man set his own clothes on fire, according to police.

"Witnesses advised that the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices," reads the North Charleston Police Department's report.

The incident highlights how anger pointed at Musk and his carmaker is starting to spill over. While largely peaceful demonstrations have taken place at Tesla dealerships across the world, there have also been cases of vandalism and other illegal acts.

Under the "Tesla Takedown" banner, protesters have voiced their discontent with Musk's activities in the government and embrace of far-right extremist views.

"Elon Musk is destroying our democracy, and he's using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it," reads a description of the group. "We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk's illegal coup."

However, the "peaceful protest movement" opposes any "violence, vandalism and destruction of property."

And unfortunately, a small number of individuals are seemingly not on board with that. Over the weekend, four Tesla Cybertrucks were heavily damaged after being set ablaze in a parking lot in Seattle. While law enforcement has yet to establish a motive for the crime, it's not a huge stretch to assume they were connected with protests targeting Tesla and Musk in the Pacific Northwest.

Superchargers, in particular, have become targets of vandalism. As the Washington Post reported last week, stations have been set on fire by other individuals wielding improvised Molotov cocktails.

Last month, a man even unloaded a clip with his AR-style semiautomatic rifle into a Tesla storefront in Salem, Oregon.

What might really hurt Musk, though, is that his abhorrent behavior has sent Tesla's finances into a tailspin. With its brand heavily tarnished, he has plenty of both literal and figurative fires to put out.

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