Musk Derangement Syndrome has just turned life upside down for a 55-year-old father and business owner in Buckingham, Pennsylvania.
Chadd Ritenbaugh was allegedly caught on a Tesla’s surveillance camera carving a swastika into the vehicle’s side while it was parked outside a Planet Fitness in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, shortly before 9:30 a.m. on March 24.
Local media outlet Phillyburbs.com reported:
Police followed up with the gym, which was able to identify the suspect, who is also seen on video entering the business wearing the same clothing as the suspect in the Tesla video, the affidavit said.Authorities identified Ritenbaugh through his membership ID and his driver’s license photo, according to the affidavit.Ritenbaugh is charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and harassment, and two counts of summary harassment and disorderly conduct.
Prior to his arrest, however, Ritenbaugh was confronted outside his home by the Tesla’s owner. And in that moment, he seemed to realize that his far-left ideology and disdain for Elon Musk didn’t entitle him to vandalize someone else’s property.
Surveillance footage shows a man, believed to be Ritenbaugh, exiting his vehicle and crouching between the two cars. He appears to carve something into the side of the Tesla before standing up and walking around to the other side of his own vehicle.
According to the video below, Planet Fitness employees identified the man as Ritenbaugh.
The Tesla owner later tracked down Ritenbaugh outside of his home. Ritenbaugh, who reportedly owns a car service, offered to repair the damage at his company’s shop, which he referred to as a “free service.”
He then claimed he had used a crayon to mark the Tesla and said, “I can wipe it off with a towel.”
When pressed by the owner for some answers, Ritenbaugh denied using a key, saying, “I’m sorry you’re upset. It didn’t even work.”
“It’s at the police right now. It’s being fingerprinted,” the owner responded.
Ritenbaugh appeared shaken by the fact that the police were now involved and asked, “What do you mean it’s being fingerprinted?”
“They’re trying to track you down,” the owner informed him. “Thankfully, Facebook tracked you down. So your business, your freakin livelihood, everything now, because you chose to write a — Tell Facebook you’re sorry for writing a swastika on a Tesla.”
“I said I’m sorry. And I apologized,” Ritenbaugh replied. “I have nothing against your car, and I have nothing against you.”
“For what,” the owner demanded to know.
“Obviously, I have something against Elon Musk,” Ritenbaugh admitted. “But that’s not the way to show my — ”
The owner cut him off, “So Elon Musk owns that car? It was bought and paid for a long time ago.”
“No, he owns the company,” Ritenbaugh replied, as if that justified his actions. “That’s why it’s misguided and obviously I did not intend to do this.”
“Alright, we’re going to wait for the police,” the owner said.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reached out to Ritenbaugh’s attorney, Paul Lang, who responded via text message: “My client is a proud father, longtime resident, and is currently undergoing cancer treatment. We will reserve further comment pending the outcome of the case.”
Interestingly, the sub-headline of the story in the Inquirer read: “In what’s become a feature of the polarized political climate, the online outrage cycle ended with social media vigilantes identifying the suspect before police even filed charges.”
The left-leaning newspaper appears more concerned with the Tesla owner’s behavior than Ritenbaugh’s alleged vandalism.
While it’s unlikely that Ritenbaugh is connected to the larger wave of vandalism and violence currently targeting Tesla dealerships across the U.S. and Europe, every individual who believes it’s acceptable to damage someone else’s property over their political beliefs should be publicly exposed—until this behavior stops.
And poor old Mr. Ritenbaugh has just become the poster child for this effort.
What began as protests against Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse inside the federal government has, in recent weeks, spiraled out of control.
The FBI recently launched a task force to identify the groups—and especially the individuals bankrolling these groups—behind these attacks. Those responsible will face domestic terrorism charges, as they very well should.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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