Peabody police arrest Saugus man for vandalizing Tesla cars

Peabody police say a Saugus man walked into the Peabody Tesla dealership at Northshore Mall on Tuesday (April 8) morning and poured paint on several cars worth more than $500,000. Gardy Pierre, 28, pleaded innocent in Peabody District Court to 11 counts of defacing property and one count of disturbing the peace. He was released after posting $100 cash bail. His next court appearance is May 20.

The incident was the latest in a series of vandalism acts sweeping the nation that are directed at Elon Musk, his electric car company Tesla and his ties to President Donald Trump. Musk, who runs the new-this-year Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is the leader of Trump’s mission to downsize federal government agencies with drastic cuts in staff.

The Tesla showroom in Peabody was one of hundreds across the country targeted for protests last month as about 75 people held signs and shouted their opposition to Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration.

The manager of the Tesla dealership told police on Tuesday that a man poured paint on several Tesla cars and then fled the scene. Police later located Pierre on mall property and arrested him.