Tesla Alerts Owner to Vandalism, Leading to Boca Raton Man’s Arrest

Rumaldo Rosales (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A Tesla owner learned his car had been hit through a notification on his phone, and the car’s cameras recorded what led to a Boca Raton man’s arrest, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Rumaldo Rosales, 66, was arrested Nov. 4 on a felony charge of criminal mischief, accused of intentionally damaging the vehicle with his car door. According to an arrest affidavit, the Tesla’s owner got an alert from the Tesla app at 6:44 p.m. saying the car’s alarm had gone off. His wife and daughter had parked the 2022 Tesla at a location on SW 18th Street about 13 minutes earlier, at about 6:31 p.m., for the daughter’s dance class.

The owner told a deputy he opened the camera footage on his phone and saw a man slam his own car door into the Tesla twice. He then drove to the location and called law enforcement. The owner said the Tesla had no damage to that door before the incident, and repairs estimated were estimated to cost between $2,000 and $3,000.

The deputy, who responded at about 9:20 p.m., wrote that he saw a dent about 1.5 inches long on the Tesla’s door and watched the video himself. The footage showed a silver 2012 Mercedes, the affidavit said. The owner’s wife told the deputy she did not move the Tesla after the incident and only opened the trunk to put items inside.

The deputy traced the Mercedes’ tag to a registered owner, Rosales, at an address on Ember Street in Boca Raton, and went to the home, the affidavit said. The deputy concluded that Rosales intentionally struck the Tesla’s door with that of his own car, according to the report.

The affidavit does not list a potential motive.