Judge Releases Tesla Arson Suspect, Citing ADHD and Lack of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’: Report
A Missouri teenager accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership is facing serious federal charges but will await trial under home confinement following a controversial court decision.
Nineteen-year-old Owen McIntire, of Parkville, Missouri, was arrested earlier this month in Boston in connection with a March arson attack on a Tesla facility in Kansas City.
Prosecutors allege that McIntire threw a Molotov cocktail at the dealership, igniting a fire that caused significant damage to two Tesla Cybertrucks.
Although no injuries were reported, federal authorities are treating the incident with gravity, charging McIntire with unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire to property used in interstate commerce.
Despite objections from federal prosecutors, newly appointed Judge Jessica Hedges approved McIntire’s release into the custody of his parents on April 24, the New York Post reports.
According to court records, McIntire will remain under strict home confinement and electronic monitoring while awaiting trial.
Court documents revealed that McIntire has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder and depression—conditions that defense attorneys argue require consistent access to medication and specialized care.
The defense maintained that incarceration would significantly disrupt “serious and ongoing” medical care, which includes “gender-affirming” services McIntire began receiving in March.
“By moving back home with his parents, he will have access to the care providers who are familiar with him and his specific needs,” the defense team wrote, according to local reports, per The Post.
Federal prosecutors from the Western District of Missouri strongly opposed McIntire’s release, arguing that his alleged actions pose a clear threat to public safety.
They emphasized the broader context of rising incidents of Tesla-related vandalism and arson, asserting that such attacks are being handled with heightened concern by law enforcement agencies.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has spoken forcefully about the issue, calling attacks on Tesla properties acts of domestic terrorism.
While McIntire has not been formally charged with terrorism-related offenses, Bondi’s public comments suggest the government’s broader approach to such crimes.
“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,” she said in a prior press release, per The Post Millennial.
“You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
Critics of Hedges’ decision argue that McIntire’s release sends the wrong message, especially given the federal government’s clear position on infrastructure-related threats.
Prosecutors stated that the Tesla attack met key thresholds for heightened concern and that McIntire should be treated accordingly.
Nevertheless, the judge ultimately sided with the defense, citing McIntire’s lack of a prior criminal record and low risk of flight.
The case is ongoing, with McIntire scheduled to appear again in federal court on Thursday.
The incident is part of a broader trend of politically charged vandalism targeting large corporations.
Federal authorities have increased efforts to identify and prosecute individuals involved in attacks on Tesla properties, which have become flashpoints for protest and destruction in recent months.
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Too bad he has adhd and did not get the ‘Gender Affirming Care’ he needed. Maybe his parents and/ or other ‘care-givers ‘should be charged instead of him . Care givers for providing/administering (for money) access to vaccines that have been shown to have a strong relationship to ADHD , the parents for allowing and or paying for them, and both for failing to make sure he knows that as he was born with male genitals he is more than likely to be a male.