Tesla Cybertruck That Exploded in Front of Trump Hotel in Las Vegas Was Packed with Fireworks and Gas Canisters: Police
|- One person died and seven were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released footage of the incident, as well as evidence showing gasoline canisters and fireworks in the vehicle
- Police are investigating any possible connections to the New Orleans attack that killed at least 15 people on New Year’s Day
The Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Jan. 1 was packed with fireworks and gas canisters, police have said.
One person died and seven people suffered injuries, but are now all stable, after the vehicle exploded outside the hotel at around 8:40 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day, authorities said in a press conference shared on Facebook.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill showed a video of the Cybertruck exploding, with what appeared to be fireworks going off. Showing another clip, the officer explained that authorities had covered the vehicle in a tarp to try and get the fire to go out, before they removed it to show the evidence in the back of the vehicle.
McMahill said they’d found “gasoline canisters,” “camp fuel canisters” and “large firework mortars,” as the screen panned to the evidence.
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“The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet,” McMahill told reporters, commenting on the fact the exterior of the truck appeared to be intact, as it “had most of the blast go up through the truck and out.”
The sheriff also pointed out that the front glass doors of the hotel hadn’t been broken by the blast, despite the truck being parked right outside.
During the conference, McMahill confirmed the truck had been rented in Colorado via the Turo app and that officers had been able to trace it through the Tesla charging stations.
He also said that the vehicle had been driven up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before the hotel explosion after arriving in the city at around 7:30 a.m.
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McMahill told reporters that authorities know who rented the vehicle, but the individual hasn’t yet been identified to the public.
When questioned about possible links to the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day that killed at least 15 people, the sheriff said they were “absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world.”
“We’re not ruling anything out,” he added.
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Acting special agent in charge for the FBI in Las Vegas, Jeremy Schwartz, said during the conference, “Our number one goal is to ensure that we have the proper identification of the subject involved in this incident.”
“Following that, our second objective is to determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not,” Schwartz continued, adding that authorities believe it’s an “isolated incident.”
When questioned about a potential political connection regarding the explosion, McMahill said, “It’s a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump Tower.”
“So there’s obviously things to be concerned about and it’s something we continue to look at,” the sheriff said.
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McMahill mentioned that Tesla CEO Musk had been cooperating with authorities, and Musk has also been commenting on the incident on his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
After saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this,” and that his team were investigating the matter, Musk added, “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.”
“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” he added on X.
While delivering a speech regarding the New Orleans attack on Wednesday, Jan. 1, President Joe Biden also commented on the possible links between the two incidents.
“Thus far, there is nothing to report … at this time,” he said.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.