The man who drove a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas was identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, an active-duty US special forces soldier from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Authorities revealed he died by suicide, shooting himself before the blast.
According to the Clark County Coroner's Office, Mr. Livelsberger's death was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had rented the vehicle over 800 miles away and drove it to the Nevada hotel on the morning of the explosion.
The incident, which occurred on New Year’s Day, injured seven people. Officials reported that the vehicle was loaded with fuel canisters and firework mortars, but all injuries were minor.
Mr. Livelsberger drove the Cybertruck into Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, arriving less than two hours before the explosion, according to police. The vehicle was parked near a glass entrance to the hotel, where it began to emit smoke before erupting in a vertical explosion.
Las Vegas authorities noted that the Cybertruck's design helped contain the blast, directing the force upward rather than outward. As a result, the nearby glass doors and windows of the hotel remained intact despite the explosion.
Officials have not yet determined a motive for the incident. "I'm comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately after," said Sheriff Kevin McMahill during a press conference on Thursday.
Investigators recovered several items from the charred vehicle, including a military ID, passport, two semi-automatic pistols, fireworks, an iPhone, a smartwatch, and multiple credit cards, all in Mr. Livelsberger's name.
The body inside the vehicle was severely burned and identified as Mr. Livelsberger. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Sheriff McMahill confirmed.
Sheriff McMahill stated that investigators identified two tattoos on the driver’s remains that matched those known to belong to Matthew Livelsberger.
A native of Colorado Springs, Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck in Denver on December 28. Police tracked his movements from Denver to Las Vegas using a combination of photographs taken along the route and Tesla's charging network data, which detailed his stops. Livelsberger was the sole individual observed driving the vehicle.
Sheriff McMahill noted parallels between this incident and a separate truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, which claimed 14 lives. However, he emphasized that no definitive connection has been established between the two cases.
Both suspects had ties to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, though records indicate they did not serve in the same unit or at the same time. Additionally, both had deployments to Afghanistan in 2009, but there is no evidence placing them in the same region or unit during that period. Coincidentally, both rented their vehicles through the Turo platform.
"We do not believe there is any further threat from this individual or anyone associated with him here in Las Vegas," McMahill assured.
Mr. Livelsberger had a distinguished military career spanning decades, serving in both the U.S. Army and the National Guard. He was a highly decorated Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant.
At the time of the incident, he was stationed in Germany but was on approved leave.
According to CBS, a news partner of the BBC, Mr. Livelsberger's father shared that his son had traveled to Colorado to visit his wife and their eight-month-old daughter. He added that their last conversation was on Christmas, during which everything appeared to be normal.
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