New Tesla crash: driver blames Autopilot, but is everything so clear-cut?
Another accident involving a Tesla, and again the driver claims the car acted on its own. This time, it involves a man from Pennsylvania who crashed the electric vehicle and blamed it. His statement came just days after a Model 3, allegedly moving on Autopilot, crashed into a woman’s house in Texas and killed her. In that incident, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the company’s head of artificial intelligence said data showed the driver had the accelerator pressed all the way down while crashing into the house at 73 miles per hour (117 km/h) and continued to apply power after the impact.
Fortunately, the accident in Pennsylvania ended only with damaged metal and property, not tragedy. According to police in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, a 2026 Tesla driven by Sharada Naganur from Princeton, New Jersey, crashed into a support pillar near a Victoria’s Secret store at the Tanger Outlets mall in Hershey on June 21. The driver was the only person in the vehicle, and no injuries were reported.
Driver’s version: the car ‘went on its own’
According to the police report obtained by PennLive, Naganur told officers that the Tesla was parked or in the process of parking near a grassy strip when it suddenly jumped the curb and began moving on its own. She said the car ‘drove itself’ and that she had no control over the vehicle when it turned right and drove along the lane toward the stores.
Before reaching the storefronts, the Tesla reportedly hit a small tree and three parked cars. Police say the vehicle was heading directly toward an Oakley store before Naganur managed to turn left, directing the Tesla into a support pillar near Victoria’s Secret.
A 2026 Tesla crashed into three parked cars and a tree before hitting a support pillar near Victoria’s Secret on Sunday morning. https://t.co/N1ANbG9B7Q
— PennLive.com (@PennLive) June 22, 2026
Was Autopilot activated? Data may tell a different story
Whether any of Tesla’s driver assistance systems were active at the time of the crash remains unclear. This is a critical detail because allegations involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving often emerge long before investigators gain access to the vehicle’s logs or telemetry data.
In fact, the Texas accident mentioned above is a recent example of why it is important to wait for evidence. Social media quickly filled with claims that Autopilot was responsible. Later, Musk and Tesla’s AI leadership team stated that vehicle data showed the driver had the accelerator fully pressed throughout the incident.
While these claims have not yet been independently verified, they highlight a recurring theme: the initial explanation of a Tesla crash does not always match what the data confirms. For now, police say there is no evidence that drugs or alcohol played a role in the Pennsylvania incident. Investigators have not announced whether Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, or any other driver assistance feature was activated.
Tesla driver who crashed into Hershey mall told police the car started driving itself https://t.co/aEw1qY4I7i
— abc27 News (@abc27News) June 22, 2026
This incident once again raises questions about the reliability of Tesla’s autonomous driving systems and how often drivers may mistakenly blame technology for their own errors. History shows that final conclusions often contradict initial statements, and only a thorough analysis of the vehicle’s data can shed light on what actually happened. For now, police continue their investigation, and the public awaits official results that may either confirm or refute the driver’s version of events.