A Florida woman is facing a felony charge after police say she caused more than $2,600 in damage to a Tesla by sticking a wad of bubble gum on the car’s door handle.
According to Aventura Police, 45-year-old Yamaris Marrero of Hallandale Beach was arrested after being spotted in the food court at Aventura Mall. The vandalism happened days earlier in the JCPenney parking garage just before 12:45 p.m. on a Saturday—and it was all caught on the car’s built-in cameras.
The Tesla owner told Local 10 News he believed he was targeted, possibly due to political bias related to Elon Musk’s public ties to Donald Trump.
The gum reportedly jammed the door handle mechanism, leading to a repair bill of $2,623.66. Marrero was initially hit with a felony mischief charge that included a hate crime enhancement, but that was later reduced in court to a third-degree felony.
