3-1-2025 (LAS VEGAS) The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day took his own life moments before the blast that injured seven others, Las Vegas law enforcement revealed Thursday.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill disclosed that investigators recovered military identification and a passport belonging to Matthew Alan Livelsberger, alongside multiple firearms, fireworks, an iPhone, and a smartwatch from the wreckage. The body found inside the vehicle was “burnt beyond recognition”, prompting authorities to await DNA confirmation before formally identifying the deceased.
In a parallel development, FBI agents conducted a search operation at a property linked to Livelsberger in Colorado Springs on Wednesday evening, working alongside local police and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The incident began when Livelsberger, 37, acquired the Cybertruck through the vehicle-sharing platform Turo in Colorado before making his way to Las Vegas. At approximately 8:40 a.m. on New Year’s Day, the vehicle, laden with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, detonated outside the Trump property.
Livelsberger’s military record reveals an extensive 18-year career with the US Army Special Forces, including service as a Green Beret communications specialist from 2006. His deployments spanned Afghanistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo, earning him numerous commendations including two Bronze Stars.
The Las Vegas attack has drawn attention for its timing, coinciding with a separate incident in New Orleans where Shamsud-Din Jabbar, another former Army veteran, drove a vehicle into crowds, resulting in 14 fatalities. While both perpetrators shared military backgrounds and connections to the same North Carolina base, FBI officials maintain there is “no definitive link” between the incidents.
The investigation continues as authorities examine potential terrorism links and motives behind the attack. Both incidents have raised questions about security protocols in vehicle-sharing services, with Turo stating that neither suspect’s background would have flagged security concerns under current screening procedures.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continues to work alongside federal agencies to piece together the events leading to the explosion, as the community grapples with this violent start to the new year.
