Cybertruck driver Joshua Hazel told Business Insider about Mardi Gras: "It was not like any other Mardi Gras."

Calling the crowd "aggressive," "hateful," and "violent" he was one of several people who had their Cybertrucks damaged and vandalized after participating in a Mardi Gras day parade. 

What began as a high-energy celebration quickly turned into a disturbing encounter for Cybertruck owners Hazel and Christina G., who were invited to transport parade marshals in their vehicles during New Orleans’ Orpheus parade.

Hazel said he and Christina were “pumped” to be part of the event, along with three other friends, decorating their Cybertrucks with American flags at a pre-staging area. “It was all just high energy, enthusiasm, awesome,” Hazel recalled.

But by evening, the mood shifted dramatically, according to Business Insider.

🚨‼️Can anyone identify this man?
Let’s make him famous in the news and on the internet. He broke the glass on this Cybertruck while the owner was volunteering for a parade on in New Orleans. He needs to be identified, please share.

pic.twitter.com/MgKZEwlDa8

— Gail Alfar (@GailAlfarATX) March 20, 2025

Christina, who requested partial anonymity out of fear of retaliation, told Business Insider, “The energy shift was just so dramatic from what we experienced.”

Spectators began throwing alcohol, shouting slurs, and pelting the trucks with heavy objects. Hazel said one man ran up and “slings a handful of beads” at full force, injuring his wife and shattering a camera panel. “There’s some thick beads, very large beads in there,” he added. Later, full beer cans were hurled at their truck “with baseball fastball throws.”

The Business Insider article says that Christina’s Cybertruck suffered similar damage. “People were pummeling the vehicle with an unknown heavy object that broke the top glass,” she said. “It feels surreal.”

The group messaged parade organizers and contacted security but said it took over an hour to exit the route. “We were really left to just sit and suffer,” Christina said. “It felt like 40 days.”

The backlash took on a political edge. Hazel and Christina said they were called Nazis and told to leave the city. Hazel, a veteran with over two decades of service, was appalled. “I’m not a Nazi in our American government, American military. That talk is just horrendous.”

Children were reportedly encouraged to flip off the vehicles and throw beads. Christina said online reactions have been equally jarring: “The celebration that some people were experiencing in causing us harm and attacking us” has been “eye-opening and scary.”

Both filed police reports. Hazel estimates his repair costs will top $7,000, including the wrap and scratched tonneau cover. Christina’s repairs have already topped $2,000, with more expected. “It’s just broken, it’s wrong,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking to see these people who have worked hard and have decided how to spend their own finances to be attacked andhave their property vandalized.”

Despite the ordeal, neither plans to back down. Hazel doubled down with a purchase of 185 Tesla shares. “We bought more Tesla shares, we're looking at adding another Tesla to the stable,” he said. “I wouldn’t allow any kind of bullying to dictate the vehicle I drive.”

Christina, too, leaned in—ordering a collectible Cybertruck model as she left New Orleans.