AUSTIN, Texas — A few days after allegedly making online threats to Elon Musk and President Joe Biden, a Minnesota native and Tesla employee has been arrested in Austin.
According to an affidavit obtained by KVUE, Justin Matthew McCauley posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, "@JoeBiden @X @Tesla @Elonmusk, I am planning to Kill all of you," at the end of January.
McCauley was charged with a terroristic threat felony after allegedly leaving his home and traveling to Austin with the intent of causing harm to Musk. Court records show McCauley told his wife he was leaving their Minnesota home to visit Texas with no plans to return home.
Without his cellphone, McCauley drove his black truck south and his wife promptly informed Rogers Police Department authorities.
While driving through Oklahoma on Jan. 26, McCauley told law enforcement he wanted to speak with the president because, "Wouldn't you want to talk to the president if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?"
On Jan. 27, the Travis County Sheriff's Office learned of another social media threat allegedly posted by McCauley which read, "I will arrive in Texas, where the war has begun on many fronts @X, @Tesla."
The following day, McCauley interacted with deputies on North Interstate 35, where he stated his plans to speak with Musk at Tesla's Gigafactory.
McCauley was arrested for terroristic threat and booked into the Travis County jail, where he remains with his bond set at $20,000.