On Jan. 1, 2025, right outside of the main entrance of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas in Paradise, NV, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded, injuring seven people. All of the injured people were said to be in stable condition. The only death to come from the incident was the sole occupant, who shot himself in the head just before the car caught on fire.
The driver was identified as Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret (United States Army Special Forces) who was on leave from an assignment in Germany; he had served in the army since 2006. Authorities say that he used firework mortars and gas canisters in order to blow up his rental car.
Livelsberger wrote two letters before his attack; they were recovered on his phone by the FBI. In the letters he stated that while he was not a terrorist, he was using explosives to convey a political message. Livelsberger also sent an email the day before the attack to retired Army intelligence agent, Samuel Shoemate, where he said he was under surveillance by the US government due to his knowledge of covert operations and military technology. The email showed no signs of suicidal intent and conflicts with the letters which show severe signs of a mental health crisis.
The manifesto written in the email detailed plans Livelsberger had to escape from the US into Mexico, though he feared he would be stopped by the intelligence agents he believed were following him. His manifesto also detailed claims of advanced military operations and war crimes, all of which the authorities believe to be authentic.
The letters took a different tone of urging Americans to “wake up” and get members of the Democratic party out of office as he believed that they were the reason the US has a “weak” government. He recommended both peaceful and violent methods of achieving these goals and referred to his attack as a “wake up call”. The letter also contained themes of suicidal ideation, as Livelsberger wanted to “cleanse [his] mind” of the fellow soldiers he lost and those that he killed.
Livelsberger also had an assault rifle and two pistols, two of the guns went unused with the third being used in his suicide. A relative of Livelsberger, who wished to remain unnamed, told ABC News that he had recently gotten remarried and had a baby. His father reported that Livelsberger “seemed normal” when they spoke on Christmas day.
The rental car was working perfectly fine and had no issues, according to Elon Musk. The explosion did not cause much damage to the hotel, with no doors or windows being broken, and it caused limited damage to the car, as it was able to be put out quickly.
Authorities are still investigating into what fully caused Livelsberger to break in such an aggressive way, but they believe he suffered from PTSD and a brain injury. It appears that those symptoms and red flags were ignored by both his family and employment.
