The driver of the Tesla that exploded in Las Vegas on January 1 killed himself before the explosion according to the coroner’s report. The presence of explosive objects in the vehicle questions the driver’s motivations, which remain “unknown”. Authorities are investigating a possible connection to the attack in New Orleans.
A Tesla vehicle exploded this Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in front of an entrance to the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. According to information provided by the city’s sheriff, Kevin McMahill, during a press conference organized on January 2, the driver lost his life while he was still in the passenger compartment and seven people were slightly injured. . Elon Musk’s Tesla Cybertruck parked in front of the establishment owned by the Trump Organization before exploding. The structure of the model would have made it possible to “limit the damage”, according to the sheriff, explaining that the glass doors of the hotel had not been broken.
The trail of suicide and that of a terrorist act
The driver of the vehicle was identified as Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old man from Colorado, thanks to the presence of a passport and the discovery of two tattoos on the victim’s body. The remains must, however, be formally identified. Concerning the cause of death, the possibility of suicide was put forward by the Las Vegas police in a press release dated January 2: “The cause of death was due to an intra-oral gunshot wound by suicide.” “We discovered, through the medical examiner’s office, that the individual had suffered a gunshot wound to the head before the vehicle exploded,” added Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
Before this clarification, investigators suspected a terrorist act due to the presence of gas canisters, gasoline cans as well as fireworks mortars in the back of the Tesla. These explosive devices are believed to be the cause of the Cybertruck explosion. Elon Musk, boss of Tesla, for his part affirmed on X that the explosion was not linked to the vehicle but to large fireworks and/or a bomb transported in the car. Whether it was a suicide or an act intended to cause more victims, the motivations of Matthew Livelsberger remain “unknown”, specified Spencer Evans, FBI agent: “We do not have information that allow us to say with certainty or suggest that it was motivated by a particular ideology.”
A link with the attack in New Orleans?
Is the explosion of the Tesla in Las Vegas, which occurred only a few hours after the attack in New Orleans, linked to the act considered terrorist? The sheriff of the city of Nevada explained on January 2 that “no indication” establishes a link between the explosion and the Islamic State group. “There is no visible IS flag like there was in New Orleans,” he said. The FBI, which is investigating the attack in New Orleans, has indicated for its part that it has not established any “irrefutable” link between the two events for the time being. The track of the isolated act therefore seems privileged.
The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck found dead, however, has some similarities with the alleged perpetrator of the attack in New Orleans. “We know that [Matthew Livelsberger] is currently in the military,” while the other suspect is a U.S. veteran. “They both served in North Carolina on a military base. It is unknown if they served together or in the same years, we are investigating this. We know that they both served in Afghanistan but we do not know if they were in the same province or in the same unit,” noted the Las Vegas sheriff. Another common point was noticed by the sheriff : “the vehicles were rented via the Turo application in both cases”, a “coincidence that we must continue to examine”.
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10:52 – Who was Matthew Livelsberger, the driver of the Tesla?
The identity of the driver of the Tesla which exploded in Las Vegas on January 1 and suspected of being behind the explosion has been revealed: it is Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old American from Colorado Springs. The man was a member of the United States military, most decorated for his participation in foreign operations, notably in Afghanistan. While the suicide trail is advanced, the motivations of the individual remain unknown at this stage. On the other hand, his profile has become clearer in recent hours.
08:49 – The suicide trail advanced
The Tesla explosion in Las Vegas killed one person on January 1st. But the victim, the driver of the vehicle, killed himself before the explosion of the vehicle according to the pathologist’s report mentioned in a press release from the authorities. “We discovered, thanks to the medical examiner’s office, that the individual had been shot in the head before the vehicle exploded,” said the Las Vegas sheriff, suggesting a suicide. While the police confirm that “the cause of his death was due to intra-oral gunshot wound by suicide.” As for the explosion, it could be due to the presence of gas canisters or even mortars and fireworks in the vehicle. The objects could have exploded from the gunshot.
