POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – A family was left disgusted and disturbed after a fellow driver asked to purchase their children and directed sickening lewd comments at their young daughter while they were stopped at an intersection in Pompano Beach.<\/p>\n
Karl Messner was driving his family to dinner on Saturday when they came to a stop at a red light along Sample Road and Federal Highway.<\/p>\n
While they awaited the light, a man who appeared to be driving alone inside of a Tesla in the lane next to Messner began shouting for his attention, asking him to roll down his window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey kinda motioned and rolled their window down and started screaming,\u201d said Karl.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much you got the child for? How much you got the children going for?\u201d the man shouts from his car.<\/p>\n
He was left stunned by what the man said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Did I just hear what I thought I heard,’\u201d said Karl.<\/p>\n
Messner said his 6-year-old daughter was sitting in the backseat with her grandmother and the driver of the Tesla seemed to believe there were other children in the vehicle.<\/p>\n
The young girl\u2019s mother was in the front passenger seat. She instinctively began recording the encounter.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly because I was thinking, you know, I don\u2019t know what he has going on but he seemed not with it,\u201d said Bethany Messner, the girl\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
As the agonizing wait for the light carried on, the Tesla driver\u2019s comments somehow managed to take an even more sinister turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much you got the babies for? Do they [expletive]? Can I [expletive] them? Do you [expletive} children?\u201d the man asked. \u201cCan I [expletive] or is it just like can I touch them?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man kept going, apparently expecting an answer before the light could turn green.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to know how much they cost so I can make a decision,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n
The depraved questions being thrown at them left everyone inside of Karl\u2019s vehicle speechless and unsure of what to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking, \u2018What?\u2019 I was just so shocked, dumbfounded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI immediately stopped and said, \u2018What?’\u201d said Sarah Foster, the young girl\u2019s grandmother.<\/p>\n
Above all else, each member was filled with pure disgust at the shameful comments made by the man.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just completely disgusted. It was like, I\u2019ve never heard anybody talk like that about children before,\u201d said Bethany.<\/p>\n
The young girl heard it all as the man kept shouting his unhinged comments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Why is he yelling?\u201d the girl can be heard asking her family inside of their car.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then after we pulled away, she felt comfortable to talk. She said: \u2018Did he say he wanted to purchase me?’\u201d said Karl.<\/p>\n
The young girl told 7News the unwanted encounter with the Tesla driver terrified her.<\/p>\n
Once the family could finally drive away from the man, they immediately dialed 911.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe turned up the road, pulled over and called the police and sent them the video,\u201d said Karl.<\/p>\n
The family said they believe the recorded encounter raises some serious questions about the Tesla driver, claiming it\u2019s not a matter of free speech, but major concerns that it could be a warning sign of potential crimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was so comfortable for him. I can\u2019t say that this guy has done this for real or if he\u2019s just talking smack, but maybe he has, and if he has, maybe we\u2019re the only shot at stopping the next one,\u201d said Karl.<\/p>\n
Karl\u2019s family made it clear they had never encountered that Tesla driver before Sunday\u2019s incident at the intersection.<\/p>\n
The Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office said they are investigating.<\/p>\n
If you have any information on this incident, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n
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