Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump Las Vegas hotel, killing driver
A video circulating online captured the moment a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a hotel owned by US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas on Wednesday. At least one person was killed and seven others were injured in the blast, according to police.
The footage shows the stainless steel truck parked at the hotel entrance before erupting into flames, followed by smaller explosions resembling fireworks. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that a 2024 Cybertruck pulled up to the hotel’s glass entrance, where smoke appeared from the vehicle before a large explosion.
Authorities are investigating the explosion as a potential act of terrorism, considering whether there’s any connection to a truck rampage in New Orleans that killed at least 15 people.
President Joe Biden said authorities are examining any links between the Las Vegas explosion and the New Orleans attack earlier in the day. However, Biden clarified that no such connection has been found. Both the FBI and local law enforcement believe the Tesla explosion was an isolated incident.
Seven people suffered minor injuries, and all are in stable condition or have already been discharged from the hospital. The driver, who died in the explosion, has not been publicly named. “We do know who rented the truck, but we’re not willing to release that information at this time,” said Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
Sheriff McMahill confirmed that the electric vehicle drove up to the Trump International Hotel’s glass doors before a “large explosion. “
He added that “one deceased individual inside the Cybertruck” and seven others received “minor” injuries. The hotel was evacuated following the explosion.
In a later news conference, McMahill explained that the truck’s back contained gasoline and camping fuel canisters, as well as “large firework mortars.”
He also stated that the design of the Cybertruck “really limited the damage… because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out,” noting that the hotel’s glass doors, located just a few feet away, “were not even broken by that blast.”
Biden mentioned that authorities were looking into “any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans.”
“Thus far, there’s nothing to report on that score,” he added. FBI agent Jeremy Schwartz described the Las Vegas explosion as “an isolated incident.”
“We do not believe that there’s a bunch of folks out there supporting this or helping this,” Schwartz concluded.
Elon Musk reacts
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the explosion was “caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck,” saying that it was “unrelated to the vehicle itself,” in a post on his social media platform X
Earlier, Musk mentioned that “the whole Tesla senior team” was investigating the explosion, adding: “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill stated that there was “no indication” that the Las Vegas explosion had similar links to the jihadist group. However, he noted: “It’s a Tesla truck, and we know Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump tower.”
“So there’s obviously things to be concerned about there and that’s something we continue to look at,” McMahill added.
Musk, a supporter of Trump in the November election and appointed by the Republican to head a commission on trimming government spending, said he would share more details “as soon as we learn anything.