Tesla Cybertrucks vandalized during New Orleans Mardi Gras parade
What's the story
In a shocking turn of events, two Tesla Cybertruck owners saw their vehicles vandalized during the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans.
The incident happened when vehicle owners Joshua Hazel and Christina G. were invited to carry parade marshals in the Orpheus parade.
What began as an exciting day soon turned into a harrowing experience for them, with both trucks suffering costly damages.
Hostility erupts
Crowd turned hostile, vandalized the vehicles
Hazel called the experience "aggressive," "hateful," and "violent."
At first, he and his group of Tesla owners felt elated to be part of the celebration. They had decorated their Cybertrucks in American flags and wraps, which impressed onlookers earlier in the day.
But as they drove deeper into the parade, parts of the crowd started harassing and vandalizing their vehicles.
Escalation
Vehicles pelted with heavy objects
What started with throwing drinks at the vehicles soon escalated.
Hazel recalled someone running up to his Cybertruck and forcefully hurling a handful of thick Mardi Gras beads, hitting his wife on the head.
The glass panel covering the truck's camera area was smashed.
Christina's Cybertruck also sustained major damage as people "pummeled" her vehicle with an unknown heavy object, breaking its top glass.
Aftermath
Both owners filed police reports
After the attack, both Hazel and Christina reported it to the police. However, the NOPD hasn't released any updates on the investigation yet.
Hazel estimated it would cost him $360 to fix his truck's shattered glass rim and around $7,000 to redo its aftermarket wrap.
Christina said she had spent over $2,000 to replace her Cybertruck's broken top glass, plus additional costs for wrap repairs.
Resilience
Incident strengthened their resolve to own Teslas
Despite the horrific experience, both Hazel and Christina stand by their vehicles.
Christina placed an order for a collectible Cybertruck model the same evening!
Hazel retaliated by buying 185 additional Tesla shares.
"We bought more Tesla shares, we're looking at adding another Tesla to the stable," he said, refusing to let "bullying dictate" his choice of vehicle.