A California man seen travelling in the back seat of a driverless Tesla was arrested in the Bay Area near San Francisco, the authorities said on Tuesday, following a call on social media to report similar behaviour to the police.

The man, Param Sharma, 25, was arrested on misdemeanour charges of reckless driving and disobeying a peace officer, the California Highway Patrol said.

The Highway Patrol said that police officers responded at about 6.35pm (local time) on Monday after 911 dispatchers received calls about a Tesla Model 3 with no one in the driver’s seat travelling east on Interstate 80 across the Bay Bridge.

A highway patrol officer at the bridge’s toll plaza spotted the Tesla “with its sole occupant in the back seat”, according to the Highway Patrol.

While trying to pull the car over, the officer saw the passenger move into the driver’s seat. The occupant then stopped the Tesla on the shoulder of Interstate 80 and Sharma was arrested, the police said. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail, and the Tesla was towed from the scene as evidence. Sharma did not respond to a request for comment on his case.

New York Times News Service