Tesla owner uses phone app to stop a thief escaping with his car
A quick-thinking Model 3 owner has outwitted a carjacker using the Tesla phone app.
A Tesla owner in California has used a remote shutdown feature on his mobile phone to thwart a thief during an attempted carjacking.
Detailed in a social media post by the Barstow Police Department, the suspect allegedly entered the owner's Tesla Model 3 electric car and ordered him to get out.
The owner complied and quickly got out of the vehicle. However, before the would-be thief could escape with the vehicle, the owner deactivated the electric motor and locked the doors via the Tesla phone app.
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbarstow.detectives%2Fposts%2F2660921100798479&width=500" width="500" height="733" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
When authorities arrived, they found the suspect still locked inside the car as he had been unable to locate the Tesla Model 3's discreet interior door unlock buttons.
Barstow Police arrested the suspect for carjacking and for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance.
The remote lock/unlock function is one included in a suite within Tesla's phone app, including real time charging status updates, operation of the heating and air conditioning, and vehicle tracking to name a few.