New Mexico man charged in arson attacks on Tesla showroom, state GOP headquarters

( Post Millennial )

An Albuquerque, New Mexico man has been charged with committing arson attacks against a Tesla showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters. 

According to a Department of Justice press release, 40-year-old Jamison Wagner of Albuquerque was charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives. He faces between five and 20 years in prison for each count. According to a biography  on the website "500 Queer Scientists," which is a "visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and their allies working in STEM and STEM-supporting jobs," Wagner is described as a "queer" electrical engineer that uses "he/him" pronouns.

At 3:13 am local time on February 9, authorities responded to the Albuquerque Tesla showroom on Jemez Canyon Dam Road for a fire and vandalism. Two Tesla Model Y vehicles were damaged outside the showroom, with one being significantly damaged. The ATF Fire Investigator "classified the fire as incendiary, meaning an intentional human act resulted in a fire occurring in a location when and where fire should not have occured," per an affidavit filed on Saturday.

Graffiti was found on the building’s walls and five to six vehicles in the parking lot using red and black spray paint. Phrases included "Die Elon," "Die Tesla Nazi," and "Tesla Nazi Inc." Investigators found one intact "glass container/incendiary device with a green metal lid inside the lesser fire damaged vehicle," and contained a "vivid blue, gelatinous substance with a strong odor of ignitable liquid." ATF determined that this was improvised napalm.

Surveillance footage obtained by authorities showed a light-colored sedan parked in the distance around the time of the incident, and a person wearking all black clothing, a black mask and a hoodie, was seen approaching the facility on foot. The subject, later determined by authorities to be Wagner, carried a white box, inside which was spray paint. The suspect was seen breaking windows on the Tesla vehicles and placing a container inside.

"A small flickering light, consistent with a transient ignition source, was observed in the subject’s hands before flame rapidly appeared inside one vehicle."On March 30, authorities responded to the Republican Party of New Mexico’s Albuquerque office at around 5:55 am for reports of a fire. The fire was extinguished shortly after authorities arrived, with the flames damaging the front door and entry area. The south wall of the structure had the phrase "ICE=KKK" painted on it. The fire was classified as incendiary. 

Investigators found that a handwritten capital "I" or "H" on the lid of a glass jar found outside the headquarters was "substantially similar in appearance and position" to that seen at the Tesla fire scene, and that the red paint used to spraypaint "ICE=KKK" on the building was "substantially similar" to paint used at the Tesla scene."

The investigations into the two crime scenes "show similarities, including the fact that the suspect used gasoline as an accelerant, jars commonly used for food to transport or move that accelerant, and red spray paint. Both arsons occurred at night, on the weekend, and the arsonist parked outside of the parking lot of the business. Most significantly, both arsons involved a jar with a lid with a hand-written capital letter 'I’ or 'H.'" A white sedan was seen in footage of the area of the headquarters building around the time the fire started.

Law enforcement was able to locate Wagner "based on an investigative lead developed by law enforcement through scene evidence." On April 11 a warrant was obtained to search Wagner’s residence, during which evidence was seized including "a white cardboard box containing eight (8) assembled suspected incendiary devices; black and red spray paint; a box of blue Styrofoam egg cartons consistent with the blue color and polystyrene materials identified in the Tesla Fire evidence; materials for the manufacture of additional incendiary devices; and ignitable liquids consistent with the gasoline used at the Tesla and RPNM fire scenes."

Investigators also found a cardboard stencil with the phrase "ICE=KKK" in Wagner’s garage with red spray paint on it, matching the graffiti seen at the GOP headquarters scene. The lights used to illuminate license plates were covered in tape on a car found in Wagner’s garage that matched the vehicle seen at the scenes.

Posts on social media from Wagner include one repost that stated "The Republican Party is the party of white supremacist fascism. That’s all it stands for" and "no gender, only chaos." Wagner changed his social media profile photo at one point to the Star Trek logo, around which read, "love Star Trek, Hate Fascism." Another post showed a Confederate Flag. In place of the stars were figures resembling Pacman characters, with the ghosts wearing red hats and Pacman resembling a virus, leaving behind gravestones in its wake.