eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Tesla Cybertruck driver arrested after driving into lake to use 'wade mode', police say

BBC News · · 397 words · By Freya Scott-Turner
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c072x1kml44o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle
“A man has been arrested in Texas accused of intentionally driving his Tesla Cybertruck into a lake to use the vehicle's "wade mode" feature.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm a man was arrested in Texas for intentionally driving a Cybertruck into a lake to test 'wade mode'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Texas man arrested after intentionally driving Cybertruck into lake to test 'wade mode,' police say. 16 hours ago. By Rhyma Castillo.Driver intentionally drove Cybertruck into North Texas lake to use …
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A man was arrested Monday evening after intentionally driving a Tesla Cybertruck into Grapevine Lake to test its "wade mode" feature. The electric truck quickly became disabled and began taking on wat…
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-grapevine-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A driver was arrested after intentionally driving a Tesla Cybertruck into a lake at a Grapevine park to test the vehicle's "Wade Mode," only to have the truck.
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/driver-arrested-after-drivi…
check_circle
“The Grapevine Police Department said its officers were called to Grapevine Lake in north Texas on Monday to recover the vehicle”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the incident took place at Grapevine Lake and involved the Grapevine Police Department.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Grapevine is a city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States, with minor portions extending into Dallas and Denton counties. Its population was 50,631 in the 2020 census, up from 46,3…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapevine,_Texas
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This resurfacing project will take 4+ months and will transform Grapevine GC to an 18 hole golf course. Tee time intervals will be 8 minutes apart until 10:00am, then 9 minutes apart the rest of the d…
https://grapevinegc.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — AA Grapevine, Inc. is the International Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. Read inspiring stories, books and publications helping AA members achieve sobriety.
https://www.aagrapevine.org/
check_circle
“Wade mode allows a Cybertruck "to enter and drive through bodies of water, such as rivers or creeks" at a maximum depth of 81.5 cm (32 inches), according to Tesla's online manual.”
CORROBORATED
The specific details regarding Wade Mode's purpose and the 32-inch depth limit are cited in multiple reports referencing Tesla's guidelines.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 22, 2026 · See the latest on Tesla. From breaking news to in-depth reporting, Bloomberg tracks the full story in real time.
https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/tesla
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find the latest Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/quote/TSLA/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tesla is building a world of amazing abundance with AI, electric cars, solar, home batteries and integrated renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses.
https://www.tesla.com/
check_circle
“The driver was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle in a closed section of the lake and for other water safety equipment violations, police said.”
CORROBORATED
The specific charges (operating a vehicle in a closed section of the lake/park and water safety equipment violations) are reported by Nypost, Business Insider, and The Guardian.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The driver, who police identified as Jimmy McDaniel, 70, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of operation of a vehicle in a closed section of a park/lake and multiple water safety equipment violations…
https://www.businessinsider.com/cybertruck-grapevine-lake-wa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The driver has since been arrested on charges of operating a vehicle in a closed section of a park or lake, as well as several water safety equipment violations.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/20/tesla-cyb…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The driver was arrested and charged with operation of a vehicle in a closed section of the lake, not having a valid boat registration and other water safety equipment violations.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/us-news/driver-plows-cybertruc…
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
“The partially-submerged vehicle was removed from near the shoreline of the south side of the lake, with the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisting police in the operation.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisted in removing the vehicle from the lake.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team later assisted in removing the vehicle from the lake. McDaniel told NBC 5 he had driven the Cybertruck in water before, including in the Atlantic Ocean,…
https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/tesla-cybertruck-sinks-in-tex…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Grapevine Fire Department's Water Rescue Team and other authorities later used a wrecker to pull the waterlogged Cybertruck. Edited by: Srishti Singh Sisodia.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/video-tesla-cybertruck-water…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Members of the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisted in removing the Cybertruck from the lake. Authorities arrested the driver on charges including operating a vehicle in a closed secti…
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/article/tesla-cybertru…
info
“The Tesla Cybertruck is an electric pickup truck made of rocket-like, bullet-proof steel materials, launched in 2019 and rolled out to the public in 2023.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Tesla homepages and stock tickers, which do not confirm the specific materials, launch date (2019), or rollout date (2023).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tesla is building a world of amazing abundance with AI, electric cars, solar, home batteries and integrated renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses.
https://www.tesla.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 22, 2026 · See the latest on Tesla. From breaking news to in-depth reporting, Bloomberg tracks the full story in real time.
https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/tesla
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find the latest Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/quote/TSLA/
info
“Tesla states in its owner's manual for the vehicle that it is the driver's responsibility "to gauge the depth of any body of water before entering"”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Tesla homepages and stock tickers; no specific text from the owner's manual regarding gauging depth was provided in the evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tesla is building a world of amazing abundance with AI, electric cars, solar, home batteries and integrated renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses.
https://www.tesla.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 22, 2026 · See the latest on Tesla. From breaking news to in-depth reporting, Bloomberg tracks the full story in real time.
https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/tesla
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find the latest Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/quote/TSLA/
check_circle
“Tesla states... "damage or water ingress to Cybertruck as a result of driving in water is not covered by the warranty".”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly quote the Tesla warranty disclaimer stating that damage or water ingress from driving in water is not covered.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A Tesla Cybertruck owner drove his electric pickup truck into Grapevine Lake in Texas to test the vehicle’s “Wade Mode” feature. The Cybertruck became disabled in the water and the driver was arrested…
https://electrek.co/2026/05/19/tesla-cybertruck-owner-believ…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Can Tesla Cybertrucks drive through water?In addition, Tesla states that "Damage or water ingress to Cybertruck as a result of driving in water is not covered by the warranty." The incident in the Ven…
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/tesla-cybertruck-water-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Can Cybertrucks drive in water? Tesla says Wade mode allows Cybertruck to enter and drive through bodies of water, such as rivers or creeks.‘Damage or water ingress to Cybertruck as a result of drivin…
https://metro.co.uk/2026/05/19/cybertruck-driver-tries-new-w…
help
“Tesla says the maximum wade depth of approximately 32 in (815 mm) is measured from the bottom of the tire.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this specific claim regarding the measurement point of the wade depth.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.