A masked man in a red Chevrolet pickup pulled into the parking lot of Optimotion Orthopedics on East State Road 44 in Wildwood last month and struck a physician's 2023 black Tesla windshield twice with a hammer, leaving roughly $1,600 in visible indentation damage before speeding away. Police have since arrested 79-year-old Glen Lee Ong, identifying him as a former patient who had grown furious after the doctor declined to perform surgery on him.
Clinic employees heard two loud bangs outside the medical facility on September 16 and discovered the dents afterward, according to villages-news.com. Surveillance video from the Tesla itself reportedly showed a masked man stepping out of a red pickup truck and approaching the doctor's vehicle with a hammer before fleeing the scene in the same truck. The doctor initially told officers he had no idea who would want to damage his car, but per the arrest report he later pointed investigators toward Ong, describing him as a difficult patient upset over the canceled procedure.
A Trail of Denials Unravels
When officers questioned Ong at his home on October 9, he denied being a patient at Optimotion Orthopedics, denied knowing the doctor, and denied owning the red Chevrolet pickup seen in the video. He later acknowledged owning a red truck but continued insisting that the vehicle shown in investigators' photographs wasn't his, according to WFTV.
That denial fell apart once police searched his garage. Investigators found that the truck's license plate matched the one captured on camera, and they also found residue where lettering on the rear window had recently been peeled off. The station's report states that Ong eventually admitted damaging the Tesla and acknowledged removing his license plate and the window lettering before the attack specifically so he wouldn't get caught.
Admissions Point to a Grudge Over Canceled Surgeries
Ong told investigators he wanted to hold the doctor accountable and teach him a lesson, according to police. He said one of his procedures was canceled after he'd already prepared for it, and claimed another was called off after he took a sip of water before surgery. Per the same account, he told investigators, “That guy screwed me over, twice.”
Police transported Ong to the Sumter County Detention Center without incident. His release status is disputed between the two outlets covering the case: villages-news.com reported that he was freed on a $20,000 bond, while WFTV's report states the arrest report itself listed no bond.
What Charges Ong Is Facing
Ong faces a felony charge of criminal mischief tied to causing at least $1,000 in damage, along with a charge of wearing a mask while committing a felony, per the Wildwood Police Department. Under Florida Statutes § 806.13, criminal mischief is defined as willfully and maliciously injuring or damaging another person's property, and damage of $1,000 or more elevates the offense to a third-degree felony. Separately, Florida Statutes § 876.155 addresses wearing a mask, hood or other device with the intent of avoiding identification during conduct that could reasonably lead to a criminal or civil proceeding.
No court disposition, plea or trial date has been reported in connection with the case.
