Prosecutors are focused on the man operating the weapon, using a Tesla for domestic terrorism, whether or not he was following Elon Musk’s orders.

The driver, Zachary Steven Chernicky, 31, of San Jose, “turned his car into a literal bomb” when he drove between 100-142 mph on Highway 87 and plowed into heavy traffic on December 2, 2025, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
Following the fiery fatal wreck, Chernicky got a new Tesla and showed off how fast it could go in a series of videos posted on Instagram, court records state.

He roamed free, threatening the public.