A man was spotted sitting behind the wheel of a gray Tesla Cybertruck parked in the driveway of Temple Emanu-El of Palm Beach, telling staff he had been sent to work security there. There was just one problem, according to investigators: nobody at the temple had hired him, and the truck itself had been stolen from a Palm Beach dealership.
Arrest Follows Earlier Encounter at the Temple
Keen Scott Peterson, identified in a probable cause affidavit as a 52-year-old man, was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after police linked him to the suspicious encounter at the synagogue, according to CBS12. Peterson allegedly told a staff member he had been sent to work security at the Jewish temple, but staff confirmed no one had been hired for that position, the station reported.
Around 10:37 a.m. that same Tuesday, an officer spotted the same Cybertruck near the 200 block of Bradley Place. The truck had no license plate, but per the outlet's report, a sticker marked 3480 matched the vehicle involved in the earlier incident at the temple, allowing police to connect the two encounters.
No Proof of Ownership, Suspended License
Officers stopped the truck and identified Peterson as the driver. According to the affidavit as described by the same report, Peterson admitted driving the truck multiple times over the previous week and claimed he had purchased it from Tesla, but he could not provide proof of ownership or any permission to drive it.
A Tesla service manager later confirmed to investigators that the Cybertruck had in fact been stolen from the dealership, even though the theft had not yet been reported to police at the time of that confirmation, the report states. Investigators also discovered that Peterson's driver's license had been suspended since 2022.
Charges Filed, Motive Still Unclear
Peterson faces charges of trespassing, knowingly driving with a suspended license and failing to register a motor vehicle, per the CBS12 report. He was not charged with vehicle theft, and the affidavit reportedly does not explain why he allegedly took the Cybertruck or why he claimed to be a temple security officer.
A separate report from Yahoo identified Peterson's age as 56, conflicting with the 52-year-old age cited in the CBS12 account; that discrepancy has not been independently resolved. Yahoo also reported that Peterson pleaded not guilty on Nov. 5 and remained at the Palm Beach County Jail as of Nov. 6 after a judge set his bail at $2,000.
