A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Here's what we know

01/02/2025 04:13 AM

The explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday could have been significantly worse, if not for the vehicle's body construction, which helped contain the blast, police said.

The driver of the Cybertruck was killed and seven others nearby were injured when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle were detonated by a device controlled by the driver, police say.

"The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast. Up through the truck and out," Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said Wednesday. "You'll see that the front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by that blast which they were parked directly in front of."

The FBI is investigating whether the explosion is tied to terrorism.

The Cybertruck was rented on the same platform used to obtain the truck involved in a vehicle attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday. Authorities are investigating possible links between the two incidents.

Here's what we know:

How the incident unfolded

About an hour later, after driving up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, the truck arrived at the Trump Hotel and detonated, according to authorities.

Surveillance footage captured the driver passing the Trump Hotel about an hour before the explosion. The driver is then seen circling back and stopping in front of the hotel just moments before the car blast, according to a law enforcement official involved in the investigation.

A CCTV video shown by the police captured the moment the truck exploded. In related social media footage, the vehicle is engulfed in smoke while being doused with water.

During a news conference, police shared footage revealing scorched gasoline containers and firework mortars found among the wreckage of the heavily burned truck.

Police haven't officially named the person who rented the truck

Authorities suspect that the driver had a background in military service, according to several law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation.

While police confirmed they know who rented the truck, they are not disclosing the name of the driver until they can verify the individual's identity.

Cybertruck's design dampened explosion, police said

McMahill said the Cybertruck's body construction significantly reduced damage in the hotel valet area, as most of the blast was directed upward, leaving the building's front glass unbroken during the explosion.

"I have to thank Elon Musk specifically," McMahill added, noting that Tesla Motors' CEO gave authorities "quite a bit of additional information," including directly sending them video from its charging stations to help with their efforts to track the driver.

"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," Musk said in a post on X.

"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion," Musk added, referring to the automaker's system that collects and transmits data about a vehicle's performance and status in real time and can monitor mileage and track the distance traveled, among other features.

Vehicle was rented on Turo

The explosion closely followed a deadly attack in New Orleans, where a driver crashed a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year's on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, resulting in at least 15 deaths and multiple injuries. The FBI is investigating it as an "act of terrorism."

Turo, which operates an online platform for car owners to lease their vehicles, reported that its service was used to rent vehicles involved in the tragic events in New Orleans and Las Vegas and it is cooperating with the authorities.

"We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat," a Turo spokesperson told CNN.

McMahill noted that it is merely a "coincidence" that the truck involved in the New Orleans attack was also rented from Turo, and authorities are actively investigating the situation.

"We are absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world," McMahill said.

CNN's Paul P. Murphy contributed to this report.

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