---
title: "“Famous” Tesla Vandal Caught by Sentry Mode Turns Herself In"
description: "Maria Elena Gimeno has turned herself into police after a video of her keying a Tesla Model 3 was captured by the car's Sentry Mode feature."
date: "2019-10-04"
modified: "2019-10-04"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-vandal-sentry-mode-caught"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "Model 3"
  - "sentry mode"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# “Famous” Tesla Vandal Caught by Sentry Mode Turns Herself In

![Maria Elena Gimeno has turned herself into police after a video of her keying a Tesla Model 3 was captured by the car's Sentry Mode feature.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tesla-vandal-sentry-mode-caught.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Tesla/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Got Keyed

It's never a good idea to mess with somebody else's car — especially when that car is a Tesla.

On Monday, [*Electrek* reported](<https://electrek.co/2019/09/30/tesla-sentry-mode-vandal-internet-famous/>) that Tesla Model 3 owner Alan Tweedie was at his daughter's soccer game when a stranger badly keyed his car.

What the perpetrator didn't know: the Model 3's Sentry Mode — a surveillance feature that makes sure nobody messes with a parked Tesla — recorded the whole thing.

## Instant Regret

The video footage went viral on Facebook and drew local news coverage. [According to *Electrek*](<https://electrek.co/2019/10/04/tesla-vandal-turns-herself-in-sentry-mode-video-viral/>), local police received "hundreds of tips" that allowed them to identify the vandal as 57-year-old Maria Elena Gimeno, who has since turned herself in.

Police have charged Gimeno with Criminal Mischief, and she faces damages of around $2,000, as estimated by local law enforcement. She could also be forced to serve up to 1.5 years in prison and pay a fine of up to $5,000 for her vandalism, *Electrek* wrote.

## Take Two

This isn't the first time Tesla's Sentry Mode has caught vandals on camera.

[Back in May](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/sentry-mode-busted-tesla-vandals>), it recorded two men keying a Model 3, and those individuals also [turned themselves in](<https://electrek.co/2019/05/14/tesla-sentry-mode-catches-vandalism-video/>) after the footage went viral — proof that Sentry Mode is already paying off for Tesla owners.

**READ MORE:** [Tesla vandal turns herself in after Sentry Mode video goes viral](<https://electrek.co/2019/10/04/tesla-vandal-turns-herself-in-sentry-mode-video-viral/>) \[*Electrek*\]

**More on Sentry Mode:** *[This Tesla Surveillance Hack Can Tell You if You’re Being Followed](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-surveillance-hack>)*

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)