Renewable Revolution

Agelbert NOTE: Please do not indulge in the "Blacks are crooks" Whitey bigoted stereotype mindset when watching this video. Both the crook that tried to steal this Tesla and the owner of the Tesla are African American. The fact that the car owner did not immediately panic probably prevented physical harm to one or both men. I'm pretty sure that a White dude would have engaged in some unwarranted, and stupidly dangerous, bellicosity due to knee jerk White prejudice against African Americans. Good for Ralph that, after briefly arguing with the crook without attempting violence, wisely decided to leave the car.



October 18th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

This attempted Tesla car jacking could have turned out deadly, but instead, thankfully, not only was the would-be thief caught, but people can laugh at his awkward and failed attempt to steal the car.

Ralph Nader (possibly a pseudonym) was charging his Tesla at a local Supercharger. It was 6:00 in the morning and he was asleep in the back of the car when the would-be thief jumped in. Unfortunately, Ralph learned the hard way that you should always lock your doors. However, this isn’t even the weirdest part.

Sentry Mode managed to capture video of the wannabe thief walking around the car and inspecting it. As this was happening, another Tesla owner pulled up to charge — all while Ralph is sleeping. The thief is standing by Ralph’s Tesla in a somewhat awkward way. At 3 minutes and 15 seconds into the video, the thief climbs into the driver’s side of the Tesla.

The thief, upon seeing Ralph in the car, reportedly asked him how to drive it — as if Ralph was just going to tell a stranger who got into his car without his permission how to drive it. Ralph asked him, “What are you doing? This is my car!”


It gets kind of comical here, as right after Ralph leaves the car, the thief realizes that he doesn’t even know how to get out. Apparently, he’s never been in a Tesla before and doesn’t know how to open the door.

At just over 4 minutes into the video, you can see a couple walking by — probably watching the two men in the Tesla and not realizing or only somewhat realizing this is an attempted car-jacking. Closer to 5 minutes in, you can see the couple in the nearby Tesla opening their trunk, and then Ralph getting out of his car. Right after this, the thief kicks out the back window and tries to escape.

Fortunately, the Tesla owners next to Ralph called the police and Ralph also did so right after getting out, and the police managed to catch the thief even though the video shows him running away.

The moral of this story is that there are all types of people in the world and as much as we would like them all to be good and kind, many are not. This is why one should always lock their doors, even if they are parked at a Supercharger that seems safe. When we are asleep, especially, we are in our most vulnerable state. What if this thief had a gun? He could have taken Ralph hostage and harmed him — even taken his life.

There are approximately 720,000 or 770,000 carjackings a year across the United States, “a rate of 237.4 per 100,000 residents.”

The Chicago Tribune reported in 2018 that, as carjackings in Chicago continued to go up, many of the carjackers were under 18 years old — 6 out of every 10 arrests. Qianna Carr shared her story with The Chicago Tribune. She was sitting in her car when a 16-year-old boy knocked on her window. He also pointed a gun at her and demanded that she get out of the car.

“Everything scares me,” she told the Tribune. “I was in the parking lot of a grocery store and really just reaching over to grab my purse and a guy was trying … to get in his car next to mine, and my heart just about stopped beating.”

Also in 2018, in Thomasville, Georgia, a woman wasn’t so lucky to survive her car jacking. She tried to fight back and the car jacker killed her. Her son tried to save her but couldn’t.

Ralph’s story is a reminder to all of us that we should always be aware of our surroundings. His situation was preventable and I am sure that he has learned this lesson, but sometimes it is better to learn from the experience of others. Also, a word of advice for thieves: you’re on camera, so stop committing crimes. You will eventually get caught, especially if there is a Tesla nearby. Cameras are everywhere nowadays, with countless added each hour. Just stop it.
 
Tags: Car Theft, Tesla, Tesla safety, Tesla Sentry Mode, Tesla software, Tesla thefts


About the Author
Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.” Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/18/crazy-tesla-car-jacking-attempt-video/