ABQ man charged in Tesla, GOP arsons

An Albuquerque man faces federal charges in connection with two reported firebombing incidents.

Federal agents arrested Jamison Wagner, 40, after executing a search warrant at his residence. The search reportedly turned up evidence linking him to an alleged Feb. 9 arson attack at the Tesla showroom near Bernalillo and an alleged March 30 arson at the Republican Party of New Mexico Office in Albuquerque.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says surveillance footage and evidence from the crime scenes led investigators to Wagner.

Wagner is charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives and remains in federal custody pending a Wednesday detention hearing. If convicted of those current charges, he faces five to 20 years in prison on each count.

In Wagner’s home, investigators reportedly found eight suspected incendiary devices, along with materials consistent with the improvised napalm used in the Tesla fire, along with incendiary devices and flammable liquids consistent with the gasoline used at both fire scenes.

In the incident at the dealership, graffiti was sprayed on six vehicles and elsewhere on the property, the release states. The vandal left swastika symbols and phrases disparaging the automaker and its chief executive, Elon Musk.

Among other links, authorities say, Wagner matches the physical description of the suspect in the surveillance footage from both incidents, and his white 2015 Hyundai Accent matches the vehicle seen at both crime scenes.

“The charges today demonstrate that there is no place in our society for politically or ideologically motivated acts of violence and extremism,” Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin said. “We are grateful for the tireless and exceptional work of our law enforcement partners to identify the alleged perpetrator of these unacceptable criminal acts and commit to prosecuting this case to the fullest extent of the law.”

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives jointly investigated the case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department and the New Mexico Department of Justice.