A Tesla Cybertruck that exploded and burst into flames Wednesday morning just outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas has left one person dead and seven people injured, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).
Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old man who was an active duty U.S. Army Green Beret from Colorado Springs, has been named as the primary suspect by investigators. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who provided new details during a Thursday media briefing, said Liveslberger’s military ID, credit cards, and passport were discovered in the Cybertruck. Livelsberger also has been identified as the person who rented the Cybertruck and video at various Tesla Supercharging stations between Colorado and Las Vegas identify him as the driver.
McMahill stopped short of conclusively naming Livelsberger as the individual who was killed and said they will wait for DNA to confirm his identity. The sheriff did say that the individual died of a self-inflicted gunshot moments before the explosion. The handgun was registered to Livelsberger.
In a briefing held late afternoon Wednesday, McMahill said the Cybertruck was rented in Colorado via peer-to-peer rental company Turo and driven to Las Vegas, arriving around 7:30 a.m. PT. The individual drove the Cybertruck through the Las Vegas Strip until it reached the hotel where the incident occurred, he said.
Police know the identity of the person who rented the vehicle and McMahill said they are looking at that individual. “I am not prepared to release the name of any of the individuals that we are looking at least until next of kin is notified and we have a 100% identification,” he added.
Detectives found gasoline canisters and large firework mortars in the bed of the truck. McMahill said the structure of the Cybertruck “limited the damage” that occurred inside of the valet area near the hotel entrance.
An eyewitness who captured video of the fire from inside the hotel lobby and posted it on X said the vehicle pulled up outside and then “blew up.” The video, and others like it, quickly spread on X.
Law enforcement continues to investigate a number of leads, McMahill said. Gov. Joe Lombardo said his office was coordinating with LVMPD and partner agencies.
During both media briefings, McMahill referenced the fatal attack that occurred Wednesday morning in New Orleans that killed at least 15 people. He didn’t make an implicit connection to the attack, but said law enforcement was taking precautions.
“We’re very well aware of what has happened in New Orleans with the event that occurred there, and the number of victims there, and the additional IEDs,” he said during the Wednesday afternoon press conference. “So as you can imagine, with an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe.”
McMahill noted that both vehicles, the Cybertruck and a Ford truck in New Orleans, were rented via Turo. He called it a “coincidence” and said it was being investigated. Turo, which was founded in 2010 and has been compared to the Airbnb for cars, allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles through the startup’s website or app. The company, which filed for an IPO in 2022, was expected to go public this year.
A Turo spokesperson told TechCrunch in an emailed statement the company is working with law enforcement.
“We are heartbroken by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and families. We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents,” the emailed statement said. “We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals.”
McMahill said law enforcement was looking for secondary devices, adding there does not appear to be any further threat to the Las Vegas community. “If that changes, obviously you will hear directly from me to provide any update to you,” he said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted several notes on X, initially stating that the “whole senior Tesla team is investigating” the incident. “Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this,” Musk wrote.
Musk later posted that the vehicle was operating as normal, according to telemetry data he said the Tesla team viewed.
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” he wrote.
McMahill personally thanked Musk for providing law enforcement with specific information about the operation of the Cybertruck as well as video from Tesla charging stations used by the individual.
The incident comes as Musk, who also owns X, maintains a close connection to President-elect Donald Trump. A review of Musk’s flight data showed at least 31 flights to or from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. This week, the NYT reported that Musk has been staying at a cottage on the Mar-a-Lago property.
This article has been updated with new information, including that the explosion left one person dead and several injured, what contents were found in the vehicle, and images.
