By Steve Neavling
A Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks detonated outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, as a decorated Green Beret inside the vehicle fatally shot himself just moments before the blast, authorities disclosed on Thursday.
Although the explosion injured seven people, none of the injuries were severe, and the Trump hotel sustained virtually no damage, the Associated Press reports. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill suggested that the 37-year-old soldier, Matthew Livelsberger, might have intended a more destructive attack. However, the sturdy steel construction of the Tesla significantly mitigated the explosive force.
Sheriff McMahill explained that the brunt of the blast was contained within the vehicle, as it vented upward rather than outward, sparing the hotel’s entry doors, which were just a few feet away.
Kenny Cooper, a special agent for the ATF, said, “The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.”
Authorities are still piecing together the puzzle of Livelsberger’s motives for the act.
Las Vegas FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans acknowledged the conspicuous nature of the location and vehicle but noted, “It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology.”
According to a U.S. official, Livelsberger had recently returned from an overseas deployment in Germany and was on an approved leave of absence when the incident occurred.
A law enforcement source indicated that investigators had learned Livelsberger was involved in a marital dispute shortly before renting the Tesla and acquiring firearms. This official, speaking anonymously, cited ongoing investigative protocols.
Inside the vehicle’s charred remains, investigators recovered several items, including a handgun near Livelsberger’s feet, another firearm, fireworks, personal documents, and electronic devices, Sheriff McMahill stated. Both guns were purchased legally, officials confirmed.
Authorities identified the driver, who was badly burned and initially unrecognizable, as Livelsberger. The Clark County coroner later ruled his death a suicide caused by a gunshot wound.
Livelsberger, a member of the elite Green Berets since 2006, had a decorated military career. He completed multiple deployments, including two to Afghanistan, and served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo.
Among his many honors, Livelsberger earned five Bronze Stars, one with a valor device for heroism, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal for valor, according to the Army.
Investigators traced the Tesla’s journey across several states. Sheriff McMahill revealed that Livelsberger rented the vehicle in Denver and charged it at multiple locations, including Monument, Colorado, on Monday, and several towns in New Mexico before arriving in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
