Suspect in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion was Army member on leave

The explosion occurred outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on Wednesday.

The suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded Wednesday outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head prior to the blast, officials confirmed in a press briefing Thursday.

The Clark County Coroner identified the driver of the vehicle in this incident as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday. His cause of death was as a result of an intraoral gunshot wound by suicide.

No one else suffered serious injuries.

Prior to his official identification, officials found overwhelming evidence -- including credit cards in his name, similar tattoos, Livelsberger purchasing the weapons in the truck and an ID card -- pointing to him as the individual. The fire and explosion slowed the identification process because of the physical injuries sustained by the driver, officials said.

Police shared this photo of Matthew Livelsberger during a press conference.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

An active-duty Army soldier, Livelsberger shot himself in the head prior to the explosion and a gun was found at his feet, according to Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Two guns -- one handgun and one rifle, which were found in the vehicle "burnt beyond recognition" -- had been purchased legally on Monday.

After renting the vehicle in Denver on Saturday, Livelsberger drove through various cities in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, officials said, noting that his location was tracked through Tesla charging stations.

The vehicle first pulled into the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel valet area just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. It then left the area, driving along Las Vegas Boulevard, before returning to the valet area at about 8:39 a.m., exploding 17 seconds after his arrival.

The driver was the only fatality from the incident. Seven bystanders had minor injuries, authorities said.

The remains of a Tesla Cybertruck that burned at the entrance of Trump Tower are inspected in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 1, 2025.
Ronda Churchill/Reuters

Livelsberger served as a Green Beret in the Army and was on approved leave from serving in Germany at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.

He received extensive decorations in combat, including the Bronze Star with a "V" device for valor, indicating heroism under fire. Livelsberger received four more standard Bronze Star medals, according to Army records. He also earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three stars. Each star represents service in a separate campaign in Afghanistan.

The Las Vegas incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year's Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people -- as well as the suspect -- and injured 35 others, according to the FBI. Like the truck used in the New Orleans attack, the Cybertruck was also rented with the Turo app, officials said.

"At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas," the FBI's Christopher Raia said Thursday morning at a press conference on the New Orleans attack.

The two drivers may have overlapped at Fort Liberty or in Afghanistan, though no evidence suggests the two ever were assigned together or knew each other, McMahill said.

President Joe Biden, in remarks Thursday, said federal investigators have not any evidence of a connection between the attacks but said he had directed them to keep looking.

Livelsberger was a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, an official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.

Matthew Livelsberger in his LinkedIn profile photo.
LinkedIn

His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.

Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.

Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck were detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.

The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and by giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.

McMahill said police believe the explosion was an "isolated incident" and that "there is no further threat to the community." He also said police do not believe anyone was helping the Las Vegas suspect.

Flames rise from a Tesla Cybertruck after it exploded outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 1, 2025 in this screengrab taken from a social media video.
Alcides Antunes via Reuters

"We believe everything is safe now," McMahill said.

Video played at the Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.

The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to Trump.

Related Topics