The Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday was rented in Colorado, authorities said.
The Cybertruck detonated at the hotel at about 8:40 a.m., authorities said. The person who was driving it died immediately and seven others standing nearby were injured, but not seriously, the sheriff’s office in Las Vegas told reporters Wednesday.
The truck was rented through the Turo online app in Colorado and was driven to Las Vegas. They tracked the truck, made by Elon Musk’s electric automobile company, via surveillance cameras at charging stations between Colorado and Nevada.
“Obviously, a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel, there’s lots of questions that we have to answer,” Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
Authorities didn’t immediately say where in Colorado the truck was picked up or who rented it, though McMahill told reporters that it was a single person.
The automobile rented for the attack in New Orleans, where at least 15 people died on Bourbon Street after being rammed by the vehicle, was also rented through Turo. Authorities have not said whether that incident is related to the Las Vegas one or that use of the app was coincidental.
McMahill said they tracked the truck coming into Nevada and Las Vegas specifically using license plate readers.
The suspect’s name has not been confirmed. McMahill said the Cybertruck’s structure made it explode more up than out, which probably saved lives.
“Technology has been very useful to us,” he said.
The FBI Denver office issued a statement encouraging people to report information if they have it.
“While we don’t have information indicating a local threat associated with this morning’s incident in New Orleans, FBI Denver is working closely with our law enforcement partners to share information and identify and disrupt any threats that may emerge in our communities,” the statement said.
To report a tip, go to tips.fbi.gov.
