NYC Dem calls on NYPD to investigate car shoppers 'aggressively' test driving Teslas on city streets

A New York City Democrat council member is calling on the NYPD to investigate multiple reports that potential Tesla buyers are allegedly recklessly testing the cars' safety features near the company's showroom in the city's Meatpacking District, according to a letter reviewed by Fox News Digital.

"My office has received multiple reports of reckless driving involving Tesla vehicles near the Tesla showroom in the Meatpacking District—particularly along Tenth Avenue and the surrounding streets," Councilman Erik Bottcher wrote in a Friday letter to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "These reports indicate a pattern of behavior that is both dangerous and deeply inappropriate for a dense, mixed-use neighborhood." 

The councilman continued that the Tesla drivers at the heart of the complaints are potential buyers visiting a local showroom who are taking Tesla Cybertrucks for test drives on nearby streets to assess the cars' safety, speed and braking abilities. 

"According to these accounts, what appear to be test drives of the Cybertruck are being conducted by potential buyers who are unaccompanied by Tesla staff," the letter continued. "These individuals are reportedly accelerating aggressively well beyond the posted speed limit and then abruptly braking, seemingly to demonstrate the vehicle’s safety features. This activity is taking place on public streets shared by pedestrians, cyclists, families, and other drivers."  

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A Tesla showroom in the Meatpacking district in Manhattan has reportedly been the site of reckless Cybertruck driving. (Getty Images )

The letter comes as protests against Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have unfolded at showrooms across the country in response to Musk's role helping lead the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

A "Tesla Takedown" movement formed in recent days, with more than 200 protests planned on Saturday in the U.S., and another few hundred planned protests in Canada and Europe as part of the "global day of action." In the U.S. the Saturday protests were promoted by actors, congressional legislators, academics and activists who led a "mass mobilizing call" to rally support, and described in the media as a "grassroots" effort to buck Musk and President Donald Trump, while working to tank Tesla's stock. 

Baltimore-area residents protest the Trump administration and Tesla CEO Elon Musk at a Tesla car dealership as part of a boycott of Tesla vehicles on March 29, 2025. (Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Saturday protests were billed as "nonviolent" and showcased people line dancing outside Teslas stores while holding anti-swastika and anti-Musk signs. 

Others protested for a couple of hours outside of Tesla dealerships, local media outlets reported, with some holding signs reading "DON'T BUY SWASTICAR," or "Nobody elected Elon."

Protesters during a Tesla Takedown rally outside a Tesla showroom on March 29, 2025. (Getty Images)

The NYC councilman continued in his letter that the NYPD and NYC Department of Transportation should investigate the reports to "ensure these dangerous activities are stopped." 

"This behavior poses a serious public safety risk and is unacceptable on the streets of our city," Bottcher said. "It threatens the well-being of everyone who lives, works, and travels through this area on a daily basis. As the Council Member representing this district, I take these concerns extremely seriously, and I believe swift action is warranted to prevent further harm." 

Protests against Tesla and Elon Musk have broken out nationwide in recent weeks. (Getty Images)

"I respectfully urge the NYPD and DOT to investigate this issue and take all appropriate steps to ensure these dangerous activities are stopped," he continued. "I would also appreciate any updates your offices can provide as the situation develops, and I stand ready to work with your teams to support any necessary enforcement or policy action." 

Bottcher's office told Fox Digital on Monday, when approached about the letter, that it did not have additional comment to share at this time. 

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In addition to the peaceful protests against Tesla over the weekend, some Tesla locations have also faced violence in recent weeks as Musk and his DOGE team investigate federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, while critics accuse the Trump administration of creating an "oligarchy" by tapping the billionaire to help streamline federal government operations. 

Elon Musk's Tesla showroom locations have faced repeated protests over his role in DOGE. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group will be dissolved on July 4, 2026.

New Yorkers have filed reports of Cybertruck test drivers allegedly driving recklessly on city streets. (Getty Images)

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A Las Vegas man, for example, was arrested earlier in March for alleged involvement in a Molotov cocktail attack on a Tesla property. The suspect in that case faces a bevy of felony charges, including three counts of arson, three counts of possession of an explosive device, five counts of shooting into a car and four counts of destroying personal property, according to local police.

Five Tesla vehicles were set on fire and shot at in what police are investigating as a "targeted attack" at a local repair center in Las Vegas on March 18, 2025. (Hal Sparks via Storyful)

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Musk remarked on X Saturday that it is "insanely ironic" that "the people shooting bullets into Tesla stores, burning down cars and generally being violent are calling me a Nazi when I have done literally zero violence at all."

Fox News Digital reached out to Tesla regarding the alleged dangerous test drivers and Bottcher's letter, but did not immediately receive a reply.