Salem man accused of shooting window, throwing Molotov cocktail at Tesla dealership

This story has been updated with additional information from the criminal complaint.

A Salem man is facing a federal firearm charge after authorities said he threw a Molotov cocktail through the window at Salem’s Tesla dealership, then shot at windows in a separate incident.

Adam M. Lansky, 41, was arrested Tuesday in Salem after a federal investigation linked him to a suspected arson at the dealership Jan. 20 and gunshots that destroyed windows Feb. 19, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office released Wednesday afternoon.

On Monday, a criminal complaint in Portland U.S. District Court charged Lansky with illegal possession of an unregistered firearm.

The criminal complaint details a federal investigation into both incidents that involved the Salem Police Department, the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. An affidavit from ATF Special Agent Nathan Miller provided this account of the incidents.

Surveillance footage from the dealership on the morning of the arson showed a man approaching on foot pulling a wagon before lighting a Molotov cocktail and throwing it at a Tesla Cybertruck parked in front of the building. The man then threw three more Molotov cocktails before spotting an eyewitness who was charging a vehicle at the Tesla Center.

Footage showed the man pulling an AR-15 style rifle with a suppressor out and pointing it at the witness as they drove away. The man threw a rock at the dealership’s showroom, breaking the glass, and threw a Molotov cocktail inside. He threw two more Molotov cocktails at cars before running away from the dealership, according to the complaint. 

Salem police and firefighters responded to the scene around 3:45 a.m. after reports of a vehicle fire.

The incident caused around $500,000 in damage to the dealership, including damaging seven Tesla cars, the complaint said. 

On Feb. 19, a second incident at the dealership happened when multiple rounds from a firearm broke through windows and a car inside early in the morning, the complaint said. 

The dealership had a security guard on duty who did not hear the shooting but soon found the damage and reported it to law enforcement. Investigators suspected the gunman used a semi-automatic rifle with a suppressor to reduce the sound.

A police patrol car captured footage of a vehicle parked near the dealership at the time of the shooting.

Investigators later found the vehicle was registered to Lansky and observed it outside of his residence multiple times. According to the complaint, Lansky lived around half a mile away from the Tesla dealership.

Evidence from the scene of the arson was sent to the FBI Laboratory in Alabama which, in late February, matched Lansky’s fingerprints to remains from the Molotov cocktails, according to the statement. 

Officers arrested Lansky Tuesday without incident, the statement said. 

The vandalism comes as Tesla dealerships across the U.S. have been the targets of political protest due to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role in President Donald Trump’s administration. Musk has overseen the mass firing of federal employees and slashed government spending while running a cost-cutting task force Trump named the Department of Government Efficiency.

Federal authorities investigated did not say if they suspected a political motivation behind the arson and shooting.

Lansky made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday. He is currently detained, the statement said.

Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].

A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.