California man sinks Tesla Cybertruck in harbor while launching jet ski

Irvine PD adds Tesla Cybertruck to fleet

Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent said he believes it to be the first police Cybertruck in the United States.

VENTURA, Calif. - A Tesla owner in California learned the hard way that a Cybertruck is in fact, not a boat.

What we know:

The driver had been offloading a jetski and meant to drive forward when he accidentally put the truck in reverse, backing it into the water, the captain told the Ventura County Star. The driver was able to exit the vehicle before it became fully submerged in the water.

One of the groups that helped pull the truck from the water on Monday was commercial towboat company TowBoatUS Ventura.

According to TowBoat, various agencies, including Harbor Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard, developed a plan to safely retrieve the vehicle.

This involved a diver attaching the truck to a towboat, which pulled it away from the dock where the front wheels got stuck in a right turn.

The parking lot was secured to ensure safety in case the truck's batteries reacted adversely upon contact with salt water. After the vehicle was removed from the water, a Tesla engineer inspected it to assess any potential damage. The truck was then towed away without any issues.

The rescue effort involved the Ventura City Fire Department, Vessel Assist, Tow Boat US, Harbor Patrol, additional Harbor resources, and the Coast Guard.

What they're saying:

Ahead of launching the production version of the Cybertruck, Elon Musk claimed the vehicle would be "waterproof enough" to serve as a boat and cross bodies of water like rivers and lakes under certain conditions.

"Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat," he tweeted in 2022, adding that it could "...cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy."