Las Vegas Explosion: Military Soldier Behind Cybertruck Attack, Seven Injured

Law enforcement officials have identified the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on January 1 as Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty U.S. Army soldier from Colorado Springs, reported today Reuters.

Reuters reportes that the blast left the driver dead and seven others with minor injuries. Authorities believe Livelsberger acted alone and died by suicide before explosives in the vehicle detonated. Livelsberger, a member of the Army Special Operations Command, had been on approved leave at the time of his death.

The explosion, which occurred around 8:40 a.m. local time, followed the rental of the Cybertruck in Denver and a journey through several cities, including Albuquerque and Flagstaff, before reaching Las Vegas, according to Reuters.

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. https://t.co/HRjb87YbaJ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025

Videos showed the vehicle exploding outside the Trump hotel.

The blast caused damage primarily inside the truck as the explosion “vented out and up,” sparing the Trump hotel doors just a few feet away, the sheriff explained to the AP.

CNN notes that the explosion shared similarities with the New Orleans vehicle attack earlier Wednesday, including a symbolic target on New Year’s Day, a truck rented through Turo, and a suspect with a military background. The FBI has said there is no evidence linking the explosion to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, which killed 15 people, says Reuters.

Investigators are also exploring whether the Las Vegas blast could be connected to terrorism, though no definitive conclusions have been made. Livelsberger’s body was severely burned, and authorities are awaiting confirmation from DNA and medical records, reported Reiters.

Investigators found two handguns, military identification, a passport, and personal belongings in the vehicle. Livelsberger had no criminal record, and it remains unclear why he carried out the explosion. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and had completed five combat deployments to Afghanistan, as reported by Reuters.

Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, noted to the AP, “The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.”

Reuters says that while it’s still unknown why the explosion occurred. The AP reported that an anonymous law enforcement official revealed that investigators learned through interviews that the suspect may have had a confrontation with his wife over relationship issues shortly before renting the Tesla and purchasing the guns.