A Salem man accused of attempting to firebomb a Tesla dealership in January and then returning about a month later to fire a rifle into the showroom won pretrial release Wednesday.

But Adam Lansky, 41, will remain in jail until 5 p.m. Thursday, allowing a federal prosecutor to challenge the decision before another judge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Parakram Singh said the government believes Lansky remains a danger, considering his alleged attacks at the Salem Tesla dealership involved making and throwing Molotov cocktails and firing dozens of bullets from an AR-15-style rifle.

“It wasn’t a one-time thing,” Singh said.

Lansky also took time to conceal his identity, he said.

The damage occurred after 3 a.m. in January and February but a security guard was in the area of the Mission Street business during the second attack, court records indicate. No one was injured.

Lansky, according to Singh, is a former member of the Socialist Rifle Association who is “well-practiced” in using guns and familiar with “combat scenarios.”

He made the explosives with everyday items, including glass bottles, gasoline and fabric, Singh said.

According to court records, Lansky threw two incendiary devices that damaged a Tesla SUV and a Cybertruck, threw another Molotov cocktail at the building and left four unused devices on the property on Jan 20. The attacker also pointed a rifle at a witness, Singh said.

Police were called back to the dealership on Feb. 19 on a report of damage from bullets fired into the showroom and striking a car, according to a federal affidavit. Surveillance footage showed a car nearby that was registered to Lansky, the affidavit said.

Lansky, who is being held at Yamhill County Jail, has pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment charging him with two counts of attempted arson of a property used in interstate commerce and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device.

He hasn’t been charged in connection with the shooting at the Tesla dealership, but Singh said Marion County prosecutors plan to pursue that case.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Mark Ahlemeyer said Lansky at the time had been misdiagnosed by his therapist and was on a medication that exacerbated his mania. Since he’s been in custody, he’s been properly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and provided the appropriate medication, Ahlemeyer said.

At Wednesday’s review of detention hearing, Ahlemeyer pointed out more than two dozen people who came to support Lansky, noting Lansky has been active in the art and music world as an audio engineer and producer who has done work for the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Portland Piano International, the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland and Oregon Symphony.

A woman he previously worked with at a Salem-area YMCA has offered to have him stay with her in her home as he awaits trial, Ahlemeyer said.

Under conditions recommended by a pretrial officer, Lansky would face medication monitoring and be required to continue with mental health counseling, not possess any weapons and either work or attend school.

Lansky has no prior criminal history, except for minor cases in Florida when he was young, Ahlemeyer said. He said Lansky did not point a rifle at another person outside the dealership but held it in a “low and ready,” stance.

Singh said he believes Lansky is sincere in his desire to remain in mental health treatment but that may not last.

“Lansky’s mental condition is part of the government’s concern,” Singh wrote to U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman in a detention memo. “His current desire to adhere to his treatment plan could change at any time bringing with it a return to dangerous and unpredictable behavior.”

The timing of the initial Tesla attack on the morning of President Donald Trump’s inauguration is also troubling, Singh said.

“Lansky wished to send a loud message on Inauguration morning, and the means he chose were dangerous not just in their physical risks to anyone present, but also through the psychological impact on the community on a day of democratic significance to the United States,” Singh wrote.

Beckerman said she found the alleged crimes “quite serious” and “very reckless” but added that Lansky’s history indicated they were an “outlier event.”

She cited his lack of criminal history and his community work and support in agreeing to his release. She said she also believed that the alleged crimes were likely a function of his mental health issues.

Beckerman found that his release plan and conditions would reduce public risk. He must return to custody if he violates the conditions, she said.

Singh said he will appeal Beckerman’s decision to U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson. Beckerman gave the government until 5 p.m. Thursday or Lansky will be released.

Tesla showrooms and dealerships across the country have been targeted with protests and vandalism since Trump became president and chose billionaire Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, to help push his agenda.

In the Salem attacks, Tesla Motors estimated it suffered approximately $500,000 in damage. Seven Teslas were damaged, with one destroyed.

— Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at 503-221-8212, [email protected], follow her on X @maxoregonian, on Bluesky @maxbernstein.bsky.social or on LinkedIn.

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