Tesla Cybertruck Explosion Near Trump Hotel Leaves One Dead, Seven Injured
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Jan 03, 2025
The FBI is investigating an explosion of a Tesla cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on New Year's Day as a possible terrorist attack.
During a press conference Monday evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahil confirmed that the driver of the truck was killed while seven more were injured. Upon arrival on the scene, Law enforcement officials discovered gasoline canisters and large firework mortars in the back of the vehicle.
According to The Christian Post, McMahill explained to reporters that the truck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas about one hour before it detonated. The vehicle had been driving up Las Vegas Boulevard prior to pulling up in front of the Trump Hotel. Approximately 8:40 a.m. Pacific time, the vehicle exploded, ABC News affiliate KTNV reported. A witness told the news outlet that the truck exploded with dozens of fireworks."
"There was enough fireworks that the car blew up and it was just flaming," he recalled.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the news that the Cybertruck ended up containing the explosion that otherwise would have caused more damage.
"The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards," Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was recently tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to co-lead a proposed Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on X.
The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken. https://t.co/9vj1JdcRZV
"Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken."
The incident comes weeks before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, when Trump is scheduled to take office. But it remains unclear whether the attack was politically motivated. The explosion also took place hours after 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar drove his pickup truck, with an Islamic State flag on it, into a crowd during a New Year's Eve celebration in Louisiana. About 15 people were killed, while 3 dozen others were injured. Police later killed Jabber during a standoff.
The attack remains under investigation by the FBI to determine if it was an "act of terrorism."
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ethan Miller/Staff
