--- title: "Cops Arrest Man For Driving Tesla With Nobody in Drivers Seat" description: "Reckless Driving A man who was seen riding in the back seat of a Tesla without anybody in the driver’s seat has been arrested by California Highway Patrol (CHP), as NBC News reports. Images of 25-year-old Param Sharma surfaced online showing him sitting in the back seat while the Tesla Model 3 was traveling down […]" date: "2021-05-12" modified: "2021-05-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cops-arrest-man-tesla-drivers-seat" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Cops Arrest Man For Driving Tesla With Nobody in Drivers Seat ![A man who was seen riding in the back seat of a Tesla without anybody in the driver's seat has been arrested by California Highway Patrol.]() *\Image: CHP\* ## Reckless Driving A man who was seen riding in the back seat of a Tesla without anybody in the driver's seat has been arrested by California Highway Patrol, [*NBC News* reports](). Images of 25-year-old Param Sharma surfaced online showing him sitting in the back seat of a Tesla Model 3 as it careened down Interstate 80 across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The sightings prompted multiple 911 calls Monday evening. Sharma was arrested for reckless driving and disobeying a peace officer, according to a Tuesday statement [obtained by *ABC News*](). It's not even the first time Sharma has gotten into trouble for similar hi-jinks. "Prior to this arrest, members of the public had captured video of someone resembling Sharma operating his vehicle in the same reckless manner, and the CHP’s Oakland Area had cited Sharma on April 27 for similar behavior," the statement reads. "The Department thanks the public for providing valuable information that aided in this investigation and arrest." ## Riding Shotgun It's still unclear if Tesla's self-driving Autopilot system was turned on. But as we have seen, the system can [easily be fooled]() into thinking that there is somebody in the driver's seat, so it isn't exactly a stretch. Despite their misleading names, Tesla's Autopilot and optional "Full Self-Driving" features do not allow vehicles to fully drive themselves, as Tesla points out itself [on its website](). The news comes after two men [died in a fiery crash]() last month in a wreck involving a Tesla Model S. [Conflicting reports]() have since followed, shrouding what happened in the moments leading up to the crash in mystery. Despite being arrested, Sharma did not learn his lesson at all. "Elon Musk really knows what he’s doing and I think people are tripping and they’re scared," Sharma told local TV station *KTVU*. **READ MORE:** [California Highway Patrol arrests man seen riding in back seat of Tesla with no driver]() \[*NBC News*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Investigators Release New Details About Deadly Tesla Crash]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()