A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside of Donald Trump’s Las Vegas Hotel on New Year’s Day, killing one person inside the vehicle and leaving seven others with minor injuries.

Police say the vehicle was loaded with gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars, sparking an intense investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. Authorities have identified Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, as the man who was killed inside of the vehicle. They add that the vehicle was rented from the carsharing company Turo, although they can’t yet confirm if the same person who made the rental was also Livelsberger.

NEW: Video shows Tesla Cybertruck explosion at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. No word yet on the cause pic.twitter.com/tR9UabrsH4

— BNO News (@BNONews) January 1, 2025

“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,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk on his X (Twitter) social media platform.

While Musk is a notorious liar and the Cybertruck is known for having build quality issues, it should be noted that Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the Cybertruck’s highly-buzzed sturdy frame “really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out.” As a result, even the glass front doors to the hotel remained intact during the explosion, despite the Cybertruck being parked close by.

If you were going to choose a metaphor for our current state of politics, a Tesla Cybertruck exploding and burning in front of a Trump Tower in a city where millions of Americans go each year to lose their money, is pretty spot on.
pic.twitter.com/xOwXImUIgM

— Melanie D’Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) January 1, 2025

Given all of this, as well as the association of the Cybertruck to Musk and the hotel to U.S. President Donald Trump, some are speculating that this explosion was an act of terrorism. Police are also investigating whether this incident has any connection to what happened in New Orleans mere hours earlier when a U.S. army veteran drove a Turo-rented pick-up into a crowd, killing at least 15 people and injuring 30 more.

In a media conference, the FBI said it’s actively investigating the Vegas Cybertruck explosion and has yet to determine whether it’s an act of terrorism.

Via: AP News