A Tesla Cybertruck owner in Texas, US, landed in jail on Monday night after reportedly driving the electric pickup into Grapevine Lake to test its “Wade Mode” feature, according to local police in Grapevine. A stunned bystander watched the incident unfold with amusement as the driver and his passenger slowly drove the Cybertruck off the rocky edge into Grapevine Lake. “Yo sir, you can’t park there,” the witness joked as the vehicle began taking in water, according to a video obtained by Fox 4. Police said the driver "intentionally" plowed his Cybertruck into a North Texas lake while attempting to test out the electric vehicle’s “Wade Mode” , reports New York Post.
Tesla Cybertruck sinks in Texas lake
Police officers and firefighters swung into action and rushed to the Katie’s Woods Boat Ramp at around 8 pm local time after receiving reports of a vehicle submerged in the water. When emergency crews arrived, they found the Tesla Cybertruck partially underwater near the shoreline.
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According to the video, the driver and his passenger managed to travel only a few feet into Grapevine Lake before the vehicle appeared to hit one of the large rocks scattered along the shore. The two men were then seen awkwardly climbing out through the passenger-side window before wading through the water toward a nearby dock.
The Grapevine Police Department said that the truck “became disabled” moments into the driver’s short-lived seafaring attempt. The driver, whose identity is not known, admitted he “intentionally” steered his vehicle into the lake to “to use the Cybertruck’s ‘Wade Mode’ feature,” according to the police department. The Grapevine Fire Department's Water Rescue Team and other authorities later used a wrecker to pull the waterlogged Cybertruck out of the lake.
Grapevine Police issues statement
"Yesterday, GPD and GFD were dispatched to Grapevine Lake, where a Tesla Cybertruck was stranded in the water. The driver drove into the lake to use the “Wade Mode” feature when the vehicle became disabled. The passengers abandoned the vehicle and the driver was arrested," Grapevine Police said in a statement.
“We want to remind drivers that although a vehicle may be physically capable of entering shallow freshwater areas, doing so can create legal and safety concerns under Texas law,” the police department said.
What is Wade Mode?
Wade Mode is one of the Cybertruck’s four off-road features. It is supposed to work in shallow bodies of water, including rivers, but does not activate automatically, according to the owner’s manual.
Driver identified
According to a report in The Independent, the driver was identified as Jimmy Jack McDaniel. He was booked into Grapevine Jail and faces several charges, including operating a vehicle in a restricted section of a park or lake, operating without a valid boat registration, and multiple violations related to water safety equipment.
McDaniel later told NBC 5 that he had previously driven the Cybertruck through water, including in the Atlantic Ocean, without facing any issues.
However, Tesla’s owner’s manual advises drivers to carefully inspect underwater conditions before entering water and warns against driving through deep or fast-moving areas, stating that doing so could result in vehicle damage, serious injury, or worse.
