MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – A random act of vandalism could cost a Metro East man thousands of dollars in car repairs.
The vehicle’s owner is making a plea to the public to help him find the woman who keyed his Tesla and possibly several other cars.
Adam Mongold says his Tesla was keyed while he was enjoying a concert at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. For Mongold, it’s less about repairing the damage, but holding the person responsible.
Security video taking from Mongold’s Tesla shows a woman vandalizing his car while it’s parked outside the concert venue.
Police are aware of the video and have asked it be shared in the hopes of identifying the suspect.
“I noticed the scratch. I thought something was on (the camera), so I tried to get it out of there. I was able to pull the flash drive out of the car and plug in my computer,” Mongold said. “I just went back and started looking through everybody that walked by the side of my car over the last four days.”
Mongold noticed the vandalism a few days later while reviewing the video from his car’s side cameras. He saw two women wearing dark clothing walking through the parking lot appearing to key multiple vehicles, including his. He spoke with the venue and says he’ll be filing a police report.
“I was expecting to see something accidental, but it seemed to be pretty obvious — intent of somebody just (going) right down the side,” he said.
Mongold hopes his Tesla camera leads to an arrest.
“In a situation like that, if someone gets in a certain proximity of the car, (the camera) records them, and it saves to a flash drive,” he said. “This time, I was able to filter back through specifically, and see where the damage was done.”
Mongold shared the car’s video on social media pages. That video has since been viewed more than 20,000 times. He believes other vehicles may have been damaged that night.
“There’s a few things in people that really bug me, and one of the biggest is the lack of respect for people’s property and belongings,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Maryland Heights Police Department said investigators will review the case. Anyone with information on the matter is encouraged to contact police.