US Special Forces Soldier Dies in Tesla Cybertruck Explosion in Las Vegas

A US Special Forces soldier died in a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, authorities confirmed. Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, rented the vehicle and drove it to the hotel before the explosion, which injured seven people with minor injuries.

According to the Clark County Coroner‘s office, Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the explosion. The vehicle, filled with fuel canisters and firework mortars, detonated less than two hours after he parked it near the hotel’s glass entrance. Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill described the incident as a suicide followed by a bombing.

Investigators recovered a military ID, passport, firearms, fireworks, and other personal items from the charred vehicle. Livelsberger, a decorated Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant, was on approved leave from his station in Germany at the time of the incident. His father told CBS that Livelsberger had recently visited his wife and eight-month-old daughter in Colorado.

Authorities tracked Livelsberger’s movements using Tesla’s charging technology and photographs from his drive from Denver to Las Vegas. While parallels were noted between this incident and a separate New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, officials found no definitive link between the two cases.

The FBI described the incident as a tragic case involving a veteran struggling with PTSD and other issues. Livelsberger had served multiple deployments, including five tours in Afghanistan, and was stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and Fort Carson, Colorado, during his military career.