Overview
- A woman is wanted for allegedly scratching a parked Tesla Model 3 and leaving a roughly 30 centimetre mark that caused about €1,500 in damage on 1 September 2025, according to police.
- The car’s owner provided footage from the Tesla’s onboard camera and the Landespolizeiinspektion Erfurt published still images to solicit public tips through the Erfurter Inspektionsdienst Süd hotline.
- Police say the publicity followed an investigating judge’s formal order and exhausted other lines of inquiry, and no arrest has been reported so far.
- The release has prompted public debate over privacy and proportionality because German law (§131b StPO) limits publishing suspect images to serious cases or when identification cannot be achieved otherwise.
- Reporting notes a wider trend of vehicle dashcam evidence being used in investigations and highlights that this manhunt could influence how courts and police balance identification needs against personal rights.