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WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Four teenagers face charges after police say a pineapple was thrown from a moving car into the windshield of a Tesla, leaving the vehicle with significant damage and forcing a conversation about how dangerous viral-style stunts can be. The Oct. 1 incident on West Chester Road was caught on the Tesla's dashcam. As of June 7, 2025, police continue to urge anyone with similar experiences to file a report.
The call came in around 11 p.m., according to West Chester Police. Officers were told that a pineapple had been launched from an eastbound vehicle and struck the front windshield of the Tesla. No one was hurt, but the impact caused what investigators described as significant damage.
Adonai Vera was driving the Tesla when the pineapple hit. He said he did not fully understand what had happened until he looked at the footage.
"Our first reaction was what happened? We have to see the video," Vera said. "And then we saw the pineapple, and we say a pineapple? That's crazy. You know it's very big. Like it's a big object. If you throw this to someone, you can kill them."
Vera said the experience has made him nervous behind the wheel, especially at night.
"Right now, when a car is coming at night, I feel like something can happen, like I feel like someone can throw something again, because it's happening around here," he said.
The dashcam video gave officers a clear view of the moment of impact and captured a vehicle that matched the description police received soon after. When officers stopped that vehicle, they noticed what appeared to be dried egg yolk on the outside of it — a detail investigators noted in the police report.
Inside were four people. Three of them are 18 years old: Jacob Braun, Bronson Moore and Danden Schlake. The fourth person is 17, and his name has not been released because he is a minor.
Braun and Moore face charges of vehicular vandalism and complicity. Schlake is charged with complicity. The 17-year-old also faces vehicular vandalism and complicity. The police report did not specify which person is accused of actually throwing the pineapple.
Under Ohio law, a complicity charge applies to someone accused of aiding, abetting, or otherwise supporting the commission of an offense. That means the case is not just about the person who may have thrown the object; it also targets anyone who investigators believe was part of the incident.
West Chester Police Chief Brian Rebholz said the outcome should serve as a warning.
"Something that may appear funny or harmless online can have devastating consequences," Rebholz said. "Throwing anything at a moving vehicle can seriously injure or kill someone. A few seconds of bad judgment can change lives forever. Think before you act."
The chief's comments reflect a broader concern in the region. West Chester Police said they were already dealing with other reports of objects being thrown from vehicles around the same time. The Warren County Sheriff's Office has said it will announce four similar arrests soon, tied to the same night of Oct. 1 in Deerfield Township.
Warren County authorities said they handled six reports of objects thrown from cars that one night alone. That pattern has pushed investigators to work together across jurisdictional lines.
West Chester Police are also cooperating with other law enforcement agencies on additional investigations. They believe some drivers may not have reported incidents because the damage was minor or the object missed the vehicle entirely.
Vera said the bigger issue is not property damage. It is the risk of losing a life.
"We're talking about life. This time was just objects but next time could be a life. This kind of situation, we have to control that," he said.
Anyone who has experienced a similar incident, even if the damage seems minor, is encouraged to call the West Chester Police Department's non-emergency dispatch line at 513-777-2231. Officers ask drivers to document any damage and, if possible, preserve dashcam footage that could help investigators connect cases.
