Law enforcement has confirmed that a Tesla Cyber truck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on New Year’s Day. One person died inside the Cybertruck, and seven minor injuries were reported, according to Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
As described in a briefing by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department Thursday evening, gasoline cans, camp fuel cans, and “large fireworks mortar shells” were found in the bed of the truck, which CNN Reports that authorities believe are linked to a driver-controlled detonation system.
McMahill said the truck was rented in Colorado and that they were able to track its movement via Tesla charging stations as well as a license plate scanner that captured its arrival in Las Vegas at around 7:30 a.m. PT. He said he was in front of the hotel for 15 seconds before the explosion.
The FBI is also on the scene. Authorities have evacuated the hotel and are looking for “secondary devices” just in case, but McMahill says “there does not appear to be any further threat to our community.”
Las Vegas authorities showed it during a press conference on Wednesday evening Several angles Video of the incident:
At approximately 8:40 a.m. PT, the 2024 Cybertruck arrived at the hotel lobby, according to authorities. “We saw that smoke started coming out of the vehicle and then there was a big explosion from the truck,” McMahill told reporters. Fire crews arrived at the scene within four minutes The fire was extinguished Within an hour. According to McMahill, Elon Musk provided authorities with “a significant amount of additional information” about the vehicle, including video captured from Tesla charging stations and assistance with handling the truck that was shut down after the explosion.
last The video was shared on X It shows the truck engulfed in flames just outside the hotel lobby.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims that the explosion had nothing to do with the Cybertruck itself, saying that the company was able to remotely access data from a specific Cybertruck to prove that the accident was not caused by the vehicle.
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by a very large fireworks and/or bomb that was placed in the bed of the rental truck and was not related to the vehicle itself.” He posted on X. (LVMPD did not respond to our requests for comment or verification of this matter.)
News of the fire comes amid numerous reports of Musk getting close to President-elect Donald Trump. Musk reportedly spent New Year’s Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort I sat down during Trump’s dinner with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Musk has also been staying at a cottage on one of Trump’s properties in Florida since around Election Day, according to The Verge. Report from New York Times.
It also comes in the middle Terrorist attack in New Orleansin which a pickup truck driver plowed into a crowd of people in the French Quarter, killing at least 15 people; Authorities in Las Vegas cited the incident as one of the reasons they are carefully checking for possible “secondary devices.”
Later on Thursday, Toro confirmed that the two cars had been rented through its service.
However, while authorities say they want Las Vegas residents to “stay away from the area,” Sheriff McMahill suggests the Vegas incident may be over: “We think everything is safe now.”
Several other people on X say they witnessed an “explosion” and captured videos of the billowing smoke. Alcides Antuneswhose photo is at the top of this story, says the car first caught fire, then there were three big bangs that were probably batteries exploding. claimed Max Radford Several explosions occurred. Steven Philando claimed The windows shook violently on the 53rd floor of the building.
Ayakal, who captured the video of the lobby, says the car “got off on its own” shortly after it stopped in the lobby, and then exploded.
“It started out like colorful fireworks.” Written on X.
“My husband and I were literally standing where the luggage was in the footage. We just saw it lift up, go down like a bus, and go wild. At first it looked like fireworks or something, but then we immediately feared for our lives thinking it might be Bomb and escape. They added.
Donald Trump has not yet made a public statement regarding the incident, however Eric Trump weighed in: “Earlier today, an electric vehicle fire was reported at the Trump Main Entrance in Las Vegas. The safety and well-being of our guests and employees remain our top priority. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their quick response and professionalism.” “
Omar Shaker contributed to the reporting.
January 1 update: Several other details were added, including directly from law enforcement, an alleged video of the moment of the explosion, and Musk’s statements about the rental car.
January 1 correction: Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon, but he is no longer its CEO as we originally wrote.
