Mesa, Arizona’s Ian William Moses indicted for torching Tesla property

Ian William Moses, 35, of Mesa, Arizona is a former resident of Tempe, Arizona. Mesa is around 6.8 miles away from Tempe.

Ian William Moses

On the early morning of April 28, 2025, Moses went to the Tesla dealership in the area of Southern Avenue and Sossaman Road in Mesa. He was wearing a tan ballcap, a black mask, a dark hooded sweatshirt, grey pants and black boots and was carrying a black backpack and a red plastic gas can.

In the parking lot of the Tesla dealearship, Moses was caught on camera placing fire starter logs next to the dealership building. He poured gasoline onto the starter logs, the building and three Tesla vehicles.

At around 1:38 a.m., Moses ignited the starter logs, causing a fire that destroyed a silver Tesla Cybertruck. After the fire, he left the dealership on a dark colored bicycle.

At around 3:00 a.m., Moses was arrested around a quarter mile from the Tesla dealership by Mesa Police Department officers. He was wearing the same clothes he wore at the dealership earlier that morning.

The officers found a hand drawn map of the area in Moses’s pocket. The map included a box with the letter T marking the location of the Tesla dealership.

On April 30, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona returned a five-count indictment against Moses for maliciously damaging property and vehicles in interstate commerce by means of fire. Each count carries a minimum penalty of five years and up to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

Tesla

Based in Austin, Texas, Tesla was founded on July 1, 2003 in San Carlos, California, USA by Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard. In February 2004, Elon Musk became the company’s chairman after leading its first funding round.

On April 26, 2025, rock legend Neil Young debuted the song “Let’s Roll Again” at the Light Up the Blues benefit concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, California. The song took a swipe at Tesla and called on Chrysler, Ford and General Motors to get back in the game.

“If you’re a fascist, get a Tesla,” Young sang. “It’s electric, it doesn’t matter. If you’re a Democrat, taste your freedom. Get whatever you want, taste your freedom.”