Tesla driver found sleeping at the wheel as car reached 70 mph on highway, report says

• A driver fell asleep while his Tesla car was using its autopilot assistance system on a German highway.

• Police tried to stop the driver as the car reached up to 70 mph, The Times of London reported.

• Police spent 15 minutes trying to wake him. He had his license confiscated pending an investigation.

German police stopped a Tesla driver who fell asleep at the wheel with the car's Autopilot assistance system on, according to The Times of London.

The car reached close to 70 mph on the highway in Bavaria, Germany, while the 45-year-old driver continued to snooze, the newspaper reported.

Police spent close to 15 minutes unsuccessfully trying to wake the driver by honking their horn and signaling him to stop, The Times said.

The Upper Franconia Police Directorate first suspected the car was on autopilot when it maintained a constant distance from the police patrol vehicle, which was traveling at 110 kmh (68.3 mph), according to the newspaper.

"The officers noticed that the Tesla driver was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed and his hands were not on the steering wheel," police said, per The Times. "This reinforced the suspicion that he had let the autopilot take over and had fallen asleep."

Police said he eventually woke up and pulled over, showing "drug-related symptoms," The Times reported.