The man found dead in the vehicle that exploded on January 1 is a former special forces soldier. He allegedly committed suicide shortly before the Tesla Cybertruck exploded.
Suspect found dead in Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday committed suicidethe American authorities said on Thursday, specifying that the motivations for this act remained, for the moment, “unknown”.
“We discovered, thanks to the medical examiner’s office, that the individual had been shot in the head before the vehicle exploded“, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference.
«Matthew Livelsberger, 37 ansoriginally from Colora Springs, Colorado, was identified as the driver of the vehicle in the investigation into the explosion,” the police of this city said a little later on its X account. Citing the office of the “Coroner” (forensic doctor), she specifies that he committed suicide.
“His burned body is unrecognizable,” explained Mr. McMahill, indicating at that time that he could not confirm “100%” that this soldier was the individual found inside the Cybertruck, while waiting for DNA analyses.
Images posted on social networks showed a Cybertruck electric vehicle parked in front of the entrance to the Trump hotel on Wednesday, exploding in a huge cloud of smoke. The explosion also left seven people lightly injured.
“The suspect’s motivations remain unknown at this stage (…) We do not have information that allows us to say with certainty or suggest that it was motivated by a particular ideology,” declared at the same conference , Spencer Evans, FBI Special Agent.
The authorities found identity papers on site in the name of this U.S. Army Special Forces member and “two semi-automatic handguns”purchased “legally” on December 30, 2024 by Mr. Livelsberger, added Kenny Cooper, of the federal agency ATF.
One of the weapons was found at the foot of the body of the individual present in the vehicle, according to the authorities.