A man blew up a Tesla Cybertruck near the Trump Tower in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, with reports of loud sounds shaking the vicinity.
Officials told CBS News that Matthew Livelsberger, 37, rented the cybertruck and detonated fireworks, engulfing the vehicle in flames, with smoke rising near the establishment.
Livelsberger perished in the blast, which also injured several people. Livelsberger was “on leave from active duty” in Germany, during which he returned to his hometown of Colorado Springs.
A family member disclosed today that Livelsberger’s wife had been out of contact with him for several days prior to the incident. Jarred Hill, a correspondent for CBS News, shared an update via X: “UPDATE VEGAS CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION: (law enforcement sources to CBS News) *Was rented to Matthew Alan Livelsberger *Active duty U.S. Army. Serving in Germany. On leave in Colorado. *Relative tells CBS News Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from him in several days.”
The cybertruck explosion occurred just hours after a driver plowed into a crowd in New Orleans’ iconic French Quarter on New Year’s Day, resulting in at least 15 deaths before the perpetrator was fatally shot by police. US authorities are investigating possible connections between the two events.
First responders investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump Tower in Las Vegas
However, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill has assured locals that there is no immediate threat of another tragedy following the explosion. He described the incident as “an isolated incident” and clarified that, unlike the New Orleans attack, there is no association with ISIS.
Livelsberger is reported to have trained at the same military base as the New Orleans terror suspect. A property in Colorado Springs linked to Livelsberger is currently under FBI investigation, with armored vehicles and tactical agents observed outside. It has emerged that the vehicles used in the deadly incidents in New Orleans and the Trump International Hotel were both rented from the same carsharing platform, Turo.
The company confirmed it’s “actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents.” They stated: “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.”