--- title: "It Turns Out Elon Musk’s Stalking Incident Had Nothing to Do With ElonJet" description: "Despite what Elon Musk claims, police reportedly can't seem to find a link between ElonJet and an alleged stalking incident that occurred last week." date: "2022-12-19" modified: "2022-12-19" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-stalking-incident-elonjet" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "doxxing" - "elon musk" - "twitter" --- # It Turns Out Elon Musk’s Stalking Incident Had Nothing to Do With ElonJet ![Despite what Elon Musk claims, police reportedly can't seem to find a link between ElonJet and an alleged stalking incident that occurred last week.]() *\Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty / Futurism\* Late last week, [maybe-still-Twitter-CEO]() Elon Musk [banned the Twitter account @ElonJet](), which as its name suggests, was dedicated to tracking the comings and goings of Musk's private jet. Musk's rationale for the ban was that the account had led to a dangerous stalking incident involving Musk's young son with Claire "Grimes" Boucher. "Last night, car carrying lil X in LA was followed by crazy stalker (thinking it was me), who later blocked car from moving and climbed onto hood," the CEO [wrote in post]() explaining why ElonJet was kicked off the site, adding that "legal action" would be taken against the ElonJet account's creator, a college student named Jack Sweeney, and unspecified "organizations who supported harm to my family" — presumably referring to media outlets, considering that a number of journalists were [banned for similar doxxing allegations]() shortly thereafter. The bans came as a shock, especially because Musk — a self-avowed [free speech absolutist]() — had used his former refusal to ban the account as proof of his commitment to America's First Amendment. Plus, banning journalists — who [Musk claimed]() had "posted my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates," however has [offered no evidence]() for that accusation — en masse, with little explanation for why, doesn't exactly scream "free speech absolutism," either. But to be fair, stalking is serious, and Musk's toddler is just a little kid. If ElonJet had, as Musk argued, been connected to an incident that put a young child at risk, he might have had a leg to stand on with the doxxing allegations. Just one problem: the police involved [told *The Washington Post*]() that they can't seem to find a link between the jet-tracking account and whatever happened at a gas station near Grimes' home in Los Angeles' South Pasadena last Tuesday night. The LAPD does seem to be taking the matter seriously, and the alleged stalker, who *WaPo* has identified as Uber Eats driver Brandon Collado, doesn't exactly have "I'm definitely not a stalker" vibes. Speaking to *WaPo*, Collado reportedly made several delusional claims regarding Grimes and Musk, alleging that "Boucher was sending him coded messages through her Instagram posts," and that Musk was both tracking his real-time location and "could control Uber Eats to block him from receiving delivery orders." Doesn't sound like a particularly stable guy. But the last time that ElonJet had posted to its account before that was the prior Monday evening, noting that the SpaceX founder's plane had landed in LA. That would have been a full day before the alleged incident took place, meaning that it's tough to draw any meaningful line between the account and the stalker. As far as the involved officers are currently concerned, ElonJet doesn't seem to have had any direct role in the encounter. The reality is that if law enforcement supported Musk's claims, Musk would have a compelling reason to kick ElonJet off the platform. But again, the police say they don't have reason to believe that's the case. The new rules against sharing someone's real-time location are also head-scratchingly vague. Critics were quick to point out that tweeting about a band's concert would seemingly count as doxxing the band, and that Musk himself had seemingly broken the rule by tweeting "[at World Cup right now]()," coupled with video proof of the fact that he was indeed at the World Cup. After all, by Twitter's new guidelines, that could well count as self-doxxing, not to mention doxxing the athletes and attendees. Right? At the end of the day: getting doxxed is a nightmare, and stalking is deadly serious, especially if children are put at risk. The conversation we're having, however, would be different if Musk had bought Twitter on grounds that he hates jet trackers, or if he simply hadn't used the account as evidence of his enduring commitment to protecting free speech. But he did, and his backtracking — not to mention the chaotic banning spree that ensued as a result — all feels reactionary and, most importantly, widely unfounded. **READ MORE:** *[Musk blamed a Twitter account for an alleged stalker. Police see no link.]()* \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on Elon's Twitter:** *[Elon Musk Polled Twitter to Ask If He Should Resign, and the Results Were RESOUNDING]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()