Cybertruck explosion: What we know about the New Years Day fire outside Trump Tower
The Cybertruck exploded Wednesday morning while it was parked near Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said. Investigators found gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars in the back of of the truck.
Video shared by the police department shows the Cybertruck parked in front of the hotel suddenly going up in a fiery explosion with a huge plume of smoke, which also appeared to include fireworks going off.
"There is no further threat to the community," McMahill said during a news conference Wednesday. McMahill and Jeremy Schwartz, acting Special Agent in Charge for the FBI in Las Vegas, said they believe the explosion was an isolated incident.
Were people injured in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump hotel?
The sole person inside the vehicle, Matthew Livelsberger, died. Seven people were injured.
Who was driving the Cybertruck outside Trump hotel? Is there a suspect?
Livelsberger was an active-duty Green Beret and had served in the Army for nearly 20 years. Green Berets conduct commando-style raids to attack key enemy targets, conduct reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines and train foreign militaries
Livelsberger had been a soldier during the peak of U.S. combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and had numerous combat deployments, according to the official.
What was the timeline of the explosion outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas?
The Cybertruck arrived in Las Vegas at about 7:30 a.m. local time, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The vehicle had been rented from Colorado using a peer-to-peer rental service, Turo.
The driver drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard for about an hour before pulling up to the Trump hotel, where it sat for about 15 seconds before the explosion at about 8:40 a.m.
"The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside the valet," McMahill said. He said the explosion was directed upward, instead of outward, because of the Cybertruck's design.
What is a Cybertruck?
First unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck is a battery-powered EV and Tesla’s first truck. The vehicle gained attention for its post-apocalyptic styling. It was marketed as having a "bullet tough" stainless-steel frame and "basically rock-proof" armored glass, according to previous statements from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Was the Las Vegas explosion tied to the New Orleans attack?
Also on New Year's Day, though earlier, 42-year-old New Orleans resident Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd celebrating the entry of 2025, killing 15 people.
Federal and local authorities continue to investigate today, Thursday, whether the explosion of the Cybertruck in Las Vegas on New Year's Day was an act of terror, and whether it could be linked to a deadly attack in New Orleans hours earlier.
Was the Cybertruck explosion an act of terrorism?
Schwartz, of the FBI, said the first goal for investigators is to confirm the identity of the driver of the Cybertruck, and the second goal is to determine whether this was an act of terrorism.
There was no evidence of links to the Islamic State, McMahill said.
President Joe Biden said federal authorities are also investigating whether the explosion is linked to the attack in New Orleans, where 15 people were killed and dozens injured when a man drove a truck at high speeds into a crowd. That truck was also rented through the Turo platform, officials have said.
"We’re tracking the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas," Biden said Wednesday. "Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there's any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans.”
Where is Trump hotel in Las Vegas?
The Trump International Hotel Las Vegas is located on Fashion Show Drive, across the street from the Fashion Show mall on the Strip.
Contributing: Bailey Schulz and Eve Chen, Paste BN
Carly Sauvageau contributed to this report.