Tragic Incident: One Fatality in Tesla Cybertruck Explosion Near Trump Hotel

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This article contains reference to suicide.

A man who was found dead inside a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside a Las Vegas hotel part-owned by US president-elect Donald Trump has been identified as an active-duty US Army soldier.

Police named 37-year-old Mathew Livelsberger as the driver of the vehicle and said that he shot himself just before detonating a series of gasoline canisters and large firework mortars. They added that he had acted alone.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was not clear whether the incident, which left seven people with minor injuries, was an act of terrorism.

The agency added that it had so far found no definitive link between the explosion and , in which 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his pickup truck into a crowd, killing 15 people.

Police had previously told a press conference they believed the person found inside the Tesla truck was Livelsberger but, because the body was burned beyond recognition, investigators were waiting for DNA confirmation.

Authorities found two semi-automatic handguns when inspecting the charred vehicle, as well as military identification, a passport, an iPhone, and credit cards.

Livelsberger was assigned to the Army Special Operations Command and was on approved leave at the time of his death, a US Army official said.

The spokesperson added that Livelsberger enlisted from 2006 until 2011, served in the National Guard and the Army Reserve, and joined special forces by 2012.

Livelsberger had been awarded a Bronze Star for valour and an Army commendation for valour, along with a Combat Infantryman Badge, a US official told Reuters. He also completed five combat deployments to Afghanistan, the official said.

A passport belonging to Matthew Livelsberger was found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, authorities say. Source: AAP / AP/Las Vegas Police Department

A close relative of Livelsberger, who asked that his name not be used for privacy reasons, told Reuters that Livelsberger had been a long-time supporter of Trump and that he had dreamed of being a soldier in the US Special Forces “even as a little kid”.

The man added that Livelsberger — who went to high school in northern Ohio, where he played baseball and football and appeared to be happy — had given his family no inkling that he was capable of something like the Las Vegas Bombing.

Videos of the incident showed the Cybertruck — a distinctive electric vehicle with an angular design — burst into flames in front of the hotel around 8:40am local time on Wednesday.

Tesla chief Elon Musk — — said the blast was unrelated to the Cybertruck itself.

“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,” Musk said in a post on X. “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

Telemetry involves the automatic collection of data from remote sources, transmitting it back to a central source so it can later be analysed.

Earlier, Musk said the “whole Tesla senior team” was investigating the blast, adding: “We’ve never seen anything like this.”

President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion and directed his team to offer any federal assistance needed, the White House said.

Initially, investigators were searching for any potential link between the Cybertruck incident and the attack in New Orleans, but on Thursday authorities in the southern city said they believe the attacker there acted alone, while the FBI described the Vegas incident as “isolated”.

Both the Cybertruck and the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack had been rented through car-sharing service Turo.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14 and Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

ADF members and their families can call the Defence all-hours Support Line, a confidential telephone and online service, on 1800 628 036.

Open Arms provides 24-hour free and confidential counselling and support for current and former ADF members and their families on 1800 011 046.

Defence personnel, contemporary veterans, and their families can also contact national support services provider Soldier On during office hours 1300 620 380.