Suspect behind Cybertruck explosion at Trump hotel Identified as a US Army soldier

The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, a US Army soldier. stationed there, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing law enforcement officials. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Because they are not allowed to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Liversberger, 37, has multiple addresses associated with him. and is on leave from Germany where he was stationed with the 10th Special Forces Division

On Wednesday, he reportedly pulled up his truck outside the hotel at around 8:40 a.m. local time. and exploded approximately 15 to 20 seconds later. The explosion killed Livelsberger and injured seven others.

Investigators photographed a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the lobby of a Trump hotel. International Las Vegas on New Year’s Day (Wade Vandervoort/AFP via Getty Images)

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Officials said the truck was loaded with gasoline and camping fuel containers. Including a large fireworks mortar. Video of the incident captured the truck exploding in a fireball. Fireworks were visible in every direction, and bystanders could be seen just feet from the truck as it burned.

An Army spokesperson told Fox News that Livelsberger began active duty in the Army in January 2006 and rose to the rank of sergeant major. Livelsberger spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a large military base in North America. Carolina which is the headquarters of the Royal Thai Army’s Special Forces Command

Livelsberger joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserves from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and is a U.S. Army Special Operations soldier.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command also confirmed that Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of his death.

Records viewed by Fox News Digital show Livelsberger’s most recent address as an overseas mailing address for ⁠⁠US Armed Forces. Before that, a home in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio was listed. And before that there was an apartment in Colorado Springs, CO. FBI Denver posted on X on Thursday that they were at a home in Colorado Springs. and will stay there for hours. This investigation concerns the Las Vegas explosion.

A relative told CBS News that Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from him in several days.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a press conference Wednesday that the Cybertruck was rented in Colorado.

Early Wednesday morning, Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen born in the United States, live in texas drove a white pickup truck into a crowd on famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans. As a result, 15 people died. The FBI said it is investigating the attack as terrorism.

On Thursday, the FBI in Houston said it had conducted a court-authorized search and cleared the 12000 block of Crescent Peak Drive in connection with the attack in New Orleans. The agency said there was no threat to residents in the area. It was unable to provide further details about the search due to the “ongoing nature of the investigation.”

The truck Jabbar was driving was rented from Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental company like the Cybertruck that was at the scene of the Las Vegas fire. Jabbar’s rented vehicle also had an ISIS flag on the trailer.

The Cybertruck doesn’t have an ISIS flag like the trucks in New Orleans.

Flames emerge from a Tesla Cybertruck after it exploded outside the Trump Hotel. International Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 1, 1 Nov 2025 (Alcides Antunes/via REUTERS)

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A Turo spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the company does not believe any of the tenants in the attacks in Las Vegas and New Orleans had a criminal background that might identify them as a threat. safety

Meanwhile, McMahill said the Cybertruck withstood most of Wednesday’s blast. and remained in perfect condition thereafter.

“The fact that this is a Cybertruck It really helps limit the damage that can occur inside the car. Because most of the explosion went through the truck and went out,” McMahill said. “In fact, if you watch that video, You can see that the front glass door of the Trump Hotel was not even shattered by the explosion.”

The initial investigation to this point involved information from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, which McMahill said provided relatively little information about how to lock a car after it exploded due to the force of the explosion.

Investigators attended the scene after a person drove his car into a crowd earlier on Canal and Bourbon streets. in new orleans On Wednesday 1 January 1 Nov 2025 (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Musk also helped capture images from Tesla charging stations around the country.

The billionaire keeps up to date with the latest news about the Cybertruck explosion on his social media platform X.

“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by a very large fireworks and/or explosive device carried in the bed of a rented Cybertruck and was not related to the vehicle. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote in one post.

“Extremists chose the wrong vehicle for their terrorist attack. The Cybertruck actually controlled the explosion and ordered it to explode upwards,” he said in another post. “Even the lobby glass door was not broken.”