According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a staggering number of hit-and-run crashes occur in the United States yearly—682,000 on average over 10 years, as per a 2018 report.
What’s even more troubling is that only 10% of hit-and-run cases are solved “due to an overwhelming lack of evidence,” Flock Safety says. So, if your car was hit while parked somewhere and there wasn’t anyone there to witness it—or a camera to record the culprit—there’s a good chance the person responsible won’t get caught, statistically speaking.
TikToker Antrell (@techbyantrell) was presumably in the “best” case scenario for being on the receiving end of a hit-and-run accident while parked in his apartment complex. His car, a Tesla, has cameras situated all around the front of the vehicle that can be used and operated via its Sentry Mode to record its surroundings.
The parking area that his car was in while it was struck was also outfitted with security cameras that presumably recorded the incident.
However, Antrell details in a series of viral clips that getting footage of the accident hasn’t been that simple. He initially posted about the incident in a TikTok which has accrued over 3.9 million views as of Saturday.
@techbyantrell Sorry for the language guys but I-
♬ original sound – Antrell | TechByAntrell
“So, I haven’t driven my car in five days and this is what I come outside to,” Antrell says in the clip.
The camera switches to reveal a black Tesla vehicle with a severely smashed front bumper. Pieces of it rest on the asphalt before it.
“Look at my f*cking car. Look at my f*cking car. Someone slammed into my f*cking car,” he says. “I have no idea when. Someone probably came around this corner and slammed into my f*cking car and I just came outside to this. Happy f*cking Saturday.”
One commenter highlighted how Tesla vehicles are outfitted with cameras that allow them to record their surroundings, and Antrell said in a follow-up video that because his car was under a certain battery percentage, it didn’t record his surroundings and only had footage of the last day he drove it, which was June 25.
He added that even though the parking facility had security camera footage of that day, they weren’t allowing him to view it.
@techbyantrell Replying to @Mathew Watung ♬ original sound – Antrell | TechByAntrell
Users couldn’t understand why management at his apartment complex wouldn’t give him access to the security recording.
“How the hell can they refuse to give it to you ?” one person wrote in the comments section.
Another couldn’t understand why one of the most useful features of a Tesla is disabled whenever a vehicle dips below a certain battery life, either.
“The one thing Tesla is good for and they limit the feature due to low battery???” they wrote. “Give it back friend.”
According to Tesla Motors Club, drivers cannot engage remote Sentry Mode or Climate Control when their vehicles are below 20% battery, as both of these actions draw power from the car’s electrical system.
One commenter from another video said that they experienced a similar situation and only gained access to the security camera footage until after they filed a police report.
“File a police report and they should be able to get it from your apartment,” they shared. “Had something similar happen where the owner building wouldn’t give it to.”
One user also couldn’t believe that Antrell didn’t receive a notice on his Tesla application that a crash occurred, which is a feature offered by the auto manufacturer.
“Did you not get an alert from the Tesla app?” they said.
In Antrell’s most recent updates, however, he revealed how he was able to track down the person who allegedly hit his car. According to the TikToker, the person who identified the culprit was in the car with them when they hit Antrell’s vehicle.
@techbyantrell Guys… so we were right all along
♬ original sound – Antrell | TechByAntrell
Antrell details in a few more videos how he was able to find out that the culprit was a woman driving her boyfriend’s truck, and how she allegedly paid the leasing management staff to keep quiet about the accident.
“I knew all along that the leasing staff was in on it,” the TikToker says. “I could definitely tell something was being covered up.”
Antrell says he has contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and “will definitely be taking legal action.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Antrell via email.
