Tesla’s recently-introduced Sentry Mode was designed to help catch thieves the moment they break into one of the automaker’s electric vehicles. And it looks like it is performing as promised.
The video below includes two recordings filmed from Model 3s which had Sentry Mode enabled while attempts at stealing them took place.
In the first clip, a would-be thief can be seen hoping out of a Jaguar XF and approaching the Model 3. By the time the vehicle pulled up, Sentry Mode had already been triggered and the cars front-facing camera and two side-facing cameras automatically started to record. They show a hooded man approach the sedan with a flashlight, looking for valuables inside the car. The man also broke the small third side window on the car but, oddly, the alarm wasn’t triggered.
The second clip shows something nearly identical. A hooded man hops out of a nearby car and begins to search the Model 3, as well as another Tesla it was parked next to. The man also broke the small third window but it’s unclear if he walked away with any stolen goods.
The police were reportedly called in both cases and the footage was handed over to authorities.
While Sentry Mode can’t actively stop a break-in from happening, it can help authorities track down the perpetrators thanks to video recordings from the high-definition cameras the cars come equipped with.
Tesla launched Sentry Mode last month alongside another feature called the ‘Dog Mode.’ That particular mode can be turned on when a driver leaves their pets inside the vehicle and turns on the climate control system to lower the cabin’s temperature.