Owen McIntire, a trans 19-year-old from Kansas City, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he firebombed a Tesla dealership in his hometown in March.

McIntire, a student at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, allegedly set two Tesla vehicles ablaze with a Molotov cocktail while at home on spring break. His trial is set for August 2026.

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He faces one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce. The maximum sentence for both charges is 30 years in prison.

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McIntire was arrested in Boston in April after investigators linked him to the firebombing based on video surveillance, cell phone tracking data, and DNA evidence discovered at the scene.

Prosecutors say McIntire drove to a residential neighborhood a block from the dealership on the night of March 17, where he parked and walked to the scene of the crime.

Surveillance footage from a home nearby, as well as from the Tesla center and a neighboring business, reportedly shows McIntire wearing dark clothing and a wide-brimmed hat.

Investigators found that hat and an apple cider vinegar bottle filled with fuel at the scene. They say McIntire tossed another Molotov cocktail to start the blaze, which damaged two vehicles and two EV charging stations, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

Shortly after his arrest, McIntire’s case was elevated to the Justice Department’s national security division, which typically handles terrorism and espionage cases.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the incident “domestic terrorism.”

“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,” Bondi said following McIntire’s detention. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”

The act of vandalism coincided with a rash of similar incidents targeting Tesla vehicles and dealerships as the company’s owner, Elon Musk, took on the role of slashing federal spending through the Trump administration’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative.

President Trump, then allied closely with the billionaire businessman, also labeled the Tesla attacks as “terrorism”. He suggested the perpetrators be deported to prison in El Salvador along with undocumented gang members, regardless of U.S. citizenship status.

In late April, a judge allowed McIntire to post bond in the case while awaiting trial.

According to federal court documents, McIntire’s attorney argued he should be released, citing “serious and ongoing” medical needs and treatments that could not or would not be provided while in federal detention.

The defense filing said McIntire is undergoing treatment for depression and ADHD and is receiving gender-affirming care that began in March of this year.  

McIntire’s attorney also cited his client’s lack of a criminal history along with his deep ties to the Kansas City area as reasons he would not be a flight risk. McIntire was ordered into home confinement with electronic monitoring with his parents in Missouri.

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