Calgary police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man believed to have information related to two suspicious fires involving Tesla vehicles last month.
Investigators suspect the fires were deliberately set using an accelerant and are treating both incidents as arson. The fires occurred on consecutive nights — March 18 and 19 — in different parts of the city.
According to police, the first fire occurred Tuesday, March 18, shortly after 9:30 p.m. A woman had parked her white 2023 Tesla Model Y at a charging station located at 314 12th Avenue S.E.
Roughly 90 minutes later, she received a charging alert and looked outside her apartment to find her vehicle engulfed in flames.
Officers attended the scene and, based on early findings, determined the fire was intentionally set.
Investigators are seeking dashcam or sentry mode footage from any drivers who were at the charging station between 9 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. that evening.
The second incident took place the following night, March 19, around 9:50 p.m., at a Tesla storage facility on Fairmount Drive S.E. Calgary firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze.
Police later confirmed a grey 2025 Tesla Cybertruck had also been deliberately set on fire.
“Our Arson Unit is continuing to collect evidence, including surveillance footage and witness accounts,” police said in a statement. “At this stage, we believe there may be a connection between the two incidents.”
On Thursday, police released images of a man described as a person of interest. He is believed to be in his 30s, approximately 5’10” tall, with a heavy build, brown hair, and brown eyes. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a purple T-shirt, a blue hat, and a black jacket.
Staff Sgt. Kurt Jacobs of the CPS Arson & Robbery Unit advised Tesla owners to activate their vehicle’s sentry mode when parking in unsecured areas.
The feature engages the vehicle’s cameras to detect suspicious activity and alerts the owner.
