A transgender teenager accused of firebombing two Tesla Cybertrucks faces spending the remainder of his youth behind bars thanks to very harsh federal charges.
Owen McIntire, 19, is staring down 30 years in prison for the March 17 Molotov cocktail attack on two of the EVs at a Tesla dealership in his native Kansas City.
The teen, who was receiving so-called gender-affirming care at the time of the attacks, has denied federal charges of malicious destruction of property and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device.
One charge carries with it a mandatory five years in prison, and he could spend 30 years behind bars if found guilty on all counts.
McIntire case was elevated to the Department of Justice’s national security division after what Attorney General Pam Bondi described as a wave of domestic terrorism.
In announcing McIntire’s arrest in April, Bondi said: ‘Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us.
‘You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.’
Tesla dealerships and vehicles were subjected to attacks due to CEO Elon Musk being a close ally of President Donald Trump, with Bondi vowing to pursue harsh charges against suspects to send a message.
Musk helped engineer a massive downsizing of the federal government and purge of employees earlier this year before stepping away from his role.
President Trump even came forward and said he considered acts of vandalism against Tesla as being ‘terrorism’.
In the last few weeks there relationship soured as the two traded blows over social media over Musk’s dislike of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’.
Federal prosecutors had sought to keep McIntire, who has ADHD and autism, behind bars ahead of his trial, claiming he is a risk to public safety.
A judge granted his pre-trial release, after his attorneys told the court he was suffering ‘serious and ongoing’ medical needs.
He had started transgender treatments the month of the Tesla attack, which would have been interrupted or terminated while in custody, his attorneys said.
His lawyers claimed McIntire had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and depression.
The attorneys also cited McIntire’s lack of a previous criminal history and his deep ties to the Kansas City area as reasons he would not be a flight risk.
At the time of McIntire’s arrest, he was studying physics at the University of Massachusetts.
When the Kansas City Tesla dealership was firebombed, police said several Cybertrucks were set on fire at around 11:15pm on March 17.
Investigators recovered a women’s wide brimmed hat and a Molotov cocktail that failed to detonate at the scene. They believe another was used to damage the trucks.
Cops said the fire started at one vehicle spreading through the parking lot, also damaging two charging stations.
During an ensuing investigation, officers obtained surveillance footage from a resident’s home a block away that allegedly showed McIntire parking his car outside.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business and from the Tesla Center itself also reportedly showed McIntire wearing dark clothing and a wide-brimmed hat.
The footage from the Tesla Center even allegedly showed McIntire lighting an apple cider vinegar bottle filled with fuel and throwing it at a Cybertruck.
He then allegedly returned to the resident’s house and was seen leaving the area in his vehicle.
McIntire was tracked down using traffic cameras, GPS, cellphone records, and surveillance footage from Kansas City International Airport.
Authorities also said a DNA analysis from the wide-brimmed hat, which was found near the first witness’ home, resulted in just one male profile.
At that point, McIntire was arrested on the University of Massachusetts campus. He remains out on bond while awaiting trial.
As part of his release, McIntire must now live with his parents in Parkville, Missouri, participate in mental health programs and take any and all prescribed medications.
He has also been ordered to avoid all Tesla dealerships, and will be under home confinement with electronic monitoring. His trial is set for August 11.