Entitled Tesla owner leaves his vehicle parked overnight on a stranger’s front lawn to charge his car using the person’s outdoor outlet without asking
- A Telsa Model 3 owner parked his car on Phil Fraumeni’s lawn in Lake Worth, Florida so that his 120-volt cord could reach Fraumeni’s outlet to steal his power
- He left the vehicle plugged in and parked in the yard without asking overnight
- Fraumeni found out about it at 7.30am when his landscaper asked him to move it
- Hours later when it was still there, he called police who tracked down the owner
- The man told authorities he had been in the neighborhood on Thursday night visiting a friend when the battery on the vehicle died
- Fraumeni didn’t press charges and didn’t ask to be paid back for stolen power
A Tesla Model 3 owner took it upon himself to use a stranger’s outdoor outlet to charge his car, and left the vehicle parked on the man’s lawn overnight to do it.
Phil Fraumeni of Lake Worth, Florida woke to find the electric vehicle on his property and his power being stolen on Friday morning.
‘It was plugged into my electric outlet on my house,’ Fraumeni told WPBF.
When it still hadn’t been removed from his grass on Ardmore Drive a few hours later, Fraumeni called the police.
A Tesla Model 3 owner took it upon himself to use a stranger’s outdoor outlet to charge his car on Friday, and left the vehicle parked on the lawn (show at left) of Phil Fraumeni of Lake Worth, Florida overnight to do it
Fraumeni first learned the Tesla was stealing his juice when his landscaper knocked on his door bright and early in the morning.
‘It must have been at 7.30 and he’s banging on the door, and he says, “Phil, please move your car,”‘ Fraumeni said.
The homeowner who has lived at the house for 20 years said his car was in the driveway, but the landscaper begged to differ.
The yard worker told him he was talking about his other car, his white Tesla Model 3, but Fraumeni doesn’t own an electric vehicle.
Sure enough, when he went outside he saw the car parked on his grass, and a 120-volt cord stretched to full length between the vehicle and his home.
Phil Fraumeni (pictured) first learned the Tesla was stealing his juice when his landscaper knocked on his door bright and early on Friday morning and asked him to ‘move his car,’ referring to the Tesla
When he went outside he saw the car parked on his grass, and a 120-volt cord stretched to full length between the vehicle and his home so it could be plugged into his outdoor outlet (shown)
That’s where the car’s owner had to leave it, in order to access Fraumeni’s outdoor outlet.
Authorities were able to track down the address of the owner and contacted him. The young man eventually showed up, joined by a young woman.
The man told authorities he had been in the neighborhood on Thursday night visiting a friend when the battery on the vehicle died.
‘From what the boy said, [it had been there] from midnight the night before, so 12 hours it was charging,’ Fraumeni said.
Fraumeni said the police explained to the young man that it’s not OK to go around stealing people’s electricity and parking your car on their property to do it.
Fraumeni’s wife, who was away at a theme park with their children and grandkids, said the man didn’t even apologize, and that he was lucky it her husband home, and not her.
Fraumeni, who took a much more lighthearted approach to the whole scenario, didn’t press charges against the thief and trespasser, and also didn’t ask to be paid back for the power that he used.
He said it’s become a bit of a joke in the neighborhood now.
With a smile and a laugh, Fraumeni said: ‘I must’ve got texts from 20 neighbors [saying] “Can we plug our cars into your house?”‘
Authorities were able to track down the address of the owner and contacted him. The young man eventually showed up, joined by a young woman. He told authorities he had been in the neighborhood on Thursday night visiting a friend when the battery on the vehicle died. The police explained to the young man that it’s not OK to go around stealing people’s electricity and parking your car on their property to do it. Fraumeni didn’t press charges