Teslas scratched at Roosevelt Field: Victor Divergilio, of Uniondale, charged with causing $23G in damage

An 83-year-old Uniondale man faces a felony criminal mischief charge after he allegedly took "a sharp object" and scratched five new Tesla vehicles in a parking lot at Roosevelt Field mall, Nassau police said.

About 1:50 p.m. Sunday, Victor Divergilio walked through the area where the Tesla vehicles were being stored and allegedly used a sharp object to "deeply scratch" the five cars, causing $23,000 worth of damage, police said.

Divergilio was later arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief, a felony.

Nassau police said the vehicles, which included three Tesla Model Y SUVs and two Model 3 cars, were being stored in a lot at the mall.

Many local dealerships store vehicles in lots at Roosevelt Field per a lease agreement, police said. The dealership was identified by police as Westbury Tesla. A dealership spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

While police did not detail any potential motive for the vandalism, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have reported more than a dozen incidents of attacks on Tesla vehicles this year — most, believed to be in protest over the actions of Tesla founder Elon Musk and his role in the Trump administration.

Administration officials have called the attacks "domestic terrorism."

Divergilio pleaded not guilty Wednesday at his arraignment in Nassau District Court and was released on nonmonetary conditions, according to court records.

His case was referred to a "Problem-Solving/Alternative Court Program," the records show. No defense attorney was listed in the records.

Divergilio's next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”