1 dead after Tesla Cybertruck explodes, catches fire outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel

Explosives and gasoline were found stuffed in the back of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside president-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas early Wednesday, killing one person inside the car and sparking a major investigation into possible terrorism.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials said one person died inside the futuristic truck and seven people nearby suffered minor injuries and several were taken to the hospital.

As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still working to remove the body from the car and begin processing the evidence inside. US President Joe Biden was informed of the explosion.

“Our No. 1 goal is to make sure we have proper identification of the subject involved in this incident,” said Jeremy Schwartz, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office.

“After that, our second objective is to find out whether this was an act of terrorism or not.”

Sheriff Kevin McMahill said authorities know who rented the truck through the Turo app in Colorado, but are not releasing the name until investigators determine it is the same person who died. A Turo spokesman did not immediately respond to an AP email request for comment.

McMahill said video taken at Tesla charging stations provided by CEO Elon Musk helped authorities track the car’s journey, arriving in Las Vegas at about 7:30 a.m., then driving about an hour later into the Trump International Hotel, where he was staying. 15 to 20 seconds before the explosion.

Video released at an afternoon news conference showed flaming fireworks, canisters and other explosives strewn around the back of a van. The walls of the truck bed were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than sideways.

‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ Musk said

Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X, “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large explosives and/or a bomb that was carried in the bed of a rented Cybertruck and was not related to the vehicle itself. All vehicle information was correct at the time of the explosion.”

Musk said at the start of the speech that his entire career was spent investigating the explosion, adding, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”

Musk recently became a member of Trump’s team and attended a New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that the president-elect did not attend.

“This is a Tesla truck, and we know Elon Musk is working with president-elect Trump, and it’s Trump Tower,” McMahill said when reporters asked about possible political connections. “So obviously there are things we should be concerned about and it’s something we’re continuing to look at.”

The truck explosion came hours after a driver rammed a truck into a crowd in the French capital New Orleans on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot dead by police. The accident was being investigated as a terrorist incident and the police believe that the driver was not acting alone.

“We are thoroughly investigating any connection that occurred in New Orleans and other attacks that occurred around the world,” said Sheriff McMahill. “We are not deciding anything.”

Witness heard 3 explosions

In Las Vegas, witness Ana Bruce, who is visiting Brazil, said she heard three explosions.

“The first one where we saw a fire, the second one, I think, was a battery or something like that, and the third one was a big one that was smoking everywhere and that was the time when everyone was told to get out and not stay. ,” said Bruce.

His companion, Alcides Antunes, showed the video he captured of the flames hitting the sides of the silver car.

The 64-story hotel is just off the Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Las Vegas Show Mall.

Eric Trump, son of the president-elect and senior vice president of the Trump Organization, posted about the fire at X, praising the fire department and local law enforcement for their “quick and efficient response.”