A driver of a Tesla Cybertruck was killed and at least seven people were injured Wednesday in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. The incident, which caused a loud explosion followed by flames, led the FBI to join the investigation.
Videos captured by witnesses, from inside and outside the hotel, show the electric car exploding while parked at the hotel’s main entrance.
The tragic event comes just hours after a man rammed a truck into a group of revelers celebrating New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, killing 15 people.
At a press conference, Las Vegas Police Chief Kevin McMahill said, “A Cybertruck and the Trump Hotel…it’s clear we have a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
Jeremy Schwartz, an FBI official, said it was too early to determine whether the explosion was an act of terrorism. He said the driver was identified and it appeared the vehicle had been rented in Colorado. However, his identity has not yet been revealed.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, made it clear that the explosion was not linked to the Cybertruck’s technology.
In a post on relation to the vehicle itself. He added: “All telemetry data from the car was normal at the time of the explosion.”
The Trump Hotel, part of the Trump Organization owned by the president-elect of the United States, was evacuated following the incident. The majority of clients were relocated to another establishment.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and son of Donald Trump, reacted on X: “Earlier today, a fire broke out in an electric vehicle at the entrance to the Trump Las Vegas hotel “.
President-elect Donald Trump, who is due to return to the White House on January 20, has not yet commented on the incident.
