Federal prosecutors on Tuesday unsealed an indictment against a Texas man accused of throwing an incendiary device at a Tesla dealership in Colorado.
Cooper Jo Frederick, 24, was arrested shortly after the March 7 attack on the Colorado dealership. Authorities say Frederick allegedly set fire to several Tesla vehicles after throwing a “destructive device” at the dealership’s main building, according to court records.
According to attorney Kelly Page, Frederick recently moved back home to live with his parents in North Texas, about a 20 minute drive from Plano, where he was arrested shortly after the attack. He faces two felony charges: possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious attempted destruction of property. He’s also facing local charges in Colorado, where he’s currently being held.
“We are in the process of gathering information and facts,” Page said. “We intend to litigate this case in court, like any other federal criminal matter, and not in the media.”
In a social media video posted on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned against taking part “in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties.” Bondi accused Fredrick of “firebombing” the dealership; she’s pushing for him to get 20 years in prison if convicted.
“We will find you, arrest you and put you behind bars,” Bondi said. “All of these cases are a serious threat to public safety.”
Lucy Grace Nelson of Lyons, Colo., is also facing charges in connection to four separate incidents in which Nelson allegedly set fire to vehicles with Molotov cocktails while spray-painting other cars and signs at the same dealership in Colorado.
The incidents come amid protests, attacks and threats against Tesla, often linked to backlash against the company’s CEO Elon Musk. Musk has pushed for the reduction of government spending as the head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. More than 24,000 federal workers have been fired since Trump took office in January, according to CBS News.
Last week, "suspicious" devices were found at a Tesla showroom in Austin, which authorities believed were intended to start a fire. In Nevada, a person allegedly fired a gun at Tesla cars at a repair shop and ignited two of them with Molotov cocktails. Similar incidents have taken place in Oregon and South Carolina. Additionally, hundreds of protests took place at Tesla dealerships nationwide over the weekend. The FBI launched a task force to crack down on anti-Tesla attacks.
“This is domestic terrorism,” FBI Director Kash Patel said last week on X. ”Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”
Musk has also condemned the attacks, describing them as "insane and deeply wrong."
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