As a licensed counselor and therapist helping to keep criminal offenders out of prison, a Brooklyn woman accused of trashing a parked Tesla may need some of her own professional expertise.
According to the New York Post, 46-year old Natasha Cohen was arraigned last Saturday and released on her own recognizance after an April 7 surveillance video allegedly showed her dumping a bag of garbage onto a Cybertruck. The bag included a brick scrawled with a swastika and the word “Nazi.”
The vandalized Tesla was parked in a largely Jewish neighborhood on Ditmas Avenue. According to the criminal complaint, Cohen told police at the time of her April 12 arrest:
Every time I see those cars, I see Elon Musk saluting the country as a Nazi. I made a mistake because I’m basically living in terror every day that the country is turning into Nazi Germany. I’m truly terrified because Elon was unelected and they’re deporting migrants without a trial.
The Post reports that Cohen has had a private counselling practice working with children, adolescents, and their families for more than two decades. In 2015, she also worked with the Kings County Re-Entry Task Force along with the Bureau of Youth Diversion and Initiatives to place offenders in diversion programs. Diversion is a criminal court practice where an offender is put on probation and — if he or she successfully completes probation without re-offending — has charges dismissed and avoids a permanent criminal record.
An online profile states, “Carrie Cohen, MSW, LCSW,” has advanced training in maternal mental health. “MSW” and “LCSW” denote that Cohen is licensed in clinical social work. She also sells therapy worksheets and resources online for children with ADHD, body dysmorphia issues, and anxiety.
Attempts to get Cohen to comment on her defense against the criminal charges have been unsuccessful. According to the Post:
Cohen, who also goes by Carrie, was spotted outside her luxury Kensington apartment building on Tuesday, wearing sunglasses and an oversized hoodie. She tried ducking Post cameras as she and her teen son shuffled inside the building — where apartments are priced between $780,000 and $1.1 million and feature spacious patios and private backyards.
Cohen has been critical of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in social media posts. The notion of a Nazi “salute” stems from a Trump inauguration celebration where Musk saluted the crowd with an outstretched arm. Detractors seized upon the image as a Nazi dog whistle.
As Breitbart reported after the appearance, Musk was gesturing to the crowd that his “heart went out” to them. Later, Musk dismissed the attack as “tired” and a “dirty trick.”
Tesla owners and dealerships across the country have been encountering a spate of attacks from activist vandals ever since Elon Musk began working with the Trump administration to cut government costs.
Many have been arrested and charged as they are typically not only caught on nearby surveillance systems, but Teslas come loaded with cameras that cover the vehicle’s perimeter.
Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
