A 39-year-old Huntingdon Valley man stands accused of keying a Tesla at a local gym, adding to the swift uptick in vandalism against Tesla vehicles.
Officers were dispatched to LA Fitness, located in the Fairless Hills section of Falls Township, at 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 for a criminal mischief report, police said.
The victim told Falls Twp. police an unknown male keyed his blue 2025 Tesla Model Y while parked at LA Fitness on Tuesday April 8, 2025 at approximately 5:05 p.m.. Viktor Kurysko was later identified as the culprit, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
In surveillance footage reviewed by police, Kurysko exited his silver Lexus and walked past the Tesla. He held a key in his left hand, and scratched the Tesla’s front passenger door. When he entered LA Fitness, he scanned his membership card into the badge scanner, said police.
Kurysko was contacted after police identified him as the suspect. He confirmed that he drove his silver Lexus to LA Fitness at the time of the incident. However, he denied knowingly scratching the victim’s Tesla. The insurance adjuster’s damage estimate was $588.83, according to the probable cause.
Teslas have been the target of vandals nationwide after President Donald Trump put the automaker’s CEO, Elon Musk, in charge of slashing government spending. In recent days, reports of vandalism to the automaker’s vehicles have come in from Minnesota, India, and the District of Columbia
The Justice Department last week announced it had arrested a college student in connection with an alleged arson in Kansas City, the sixth person to face federal charges for allegedly vandalizing Tesla vehicles amid a spate of recent protests against company CEO Elon Musk, with the department threatening ‘decades’ in prison, according to Forbes.com.
The uptick in politically related vandalism targeting the Trump administration has hit home also as a Lower Makefield man was charged last month for leaving screws and bolts in the driveways of publicly known supporters of the president. Subsequent to Lower Bucks Source reporting on the incidents in the usually quiet and peaceful municipality, additional reports of screw and nails were reported to Lower Makefield authorities. No arrests or charges have been filed in connection with the new reports in Lower Makefield as of publication time, according to court records.
Kurysko was charged with a misdemeanor of criminal mischief/damage to property via mail summons.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 21 in Falls Twp District Court.