One person was killed, and seven others were injured Wednesday morning when a Tesla Cybertruck erupted in flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Authorities revealed the truck was loaded with fuel canisters and firework mortars, and the FBI is investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism. The explosion occurred near the hotel’s glass entrance and was reportedly preceded by three loud blasts, according to witnesses. The vehicle, rented in Colorado, had arrived in Las Vegas less than two hours before the incident. The driver perished in the explosion, police confirmed.
Clark County/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters during an afternoon briefing that “camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars” were found in the back of the truck. He said the driver was the only person in the truck. The body was still inside the truck late Wednesday afternoon, McMahill said. It wasn’t clear how the fireworks and gas tanks exploded. “There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said. The FBI’s acting special agent in charge of the investigation, Jeremy Schwartz, said it was not yet clear if the blast was an act of terrorism but was investigating all possibilities.
Schwartz said the FBI was also looking at any connection between the incident and an attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday, when a man drove a pickup into crowds on a French Quarter street, killing 15 people and wounding more than 100 others. But he cautioned that there were no links between the incidents.
The truck was a futuristic-looking, battery-powered electric vehicle that debuted in 2019. It gained popularity for its post-apocalyptic style and was marketed as having bullet-tough stainless steel and rock-proof armored glass. Police said it could carry up to five people and had a maximum speed of 120 miles per hour.
McMahill credited Tesla CEO Elon Musk with helping authorities track the truck. He said Musk sent them video from charging stations where the truck had been parked to help investigators track it down, arriving in the city about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, then entering the hotel’s valet area at about 8 a.m.
Police said the truck exploded at about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday. Schwartz said it was a “significant explosion.” “It destroyed the entire front of the vehicle,” he said. “It took the truck to pieces.” The company that owns the truck, Turo, confirmed that the vehicle involved in both incidents was rented through their service. The company said it did not know whether the renter in the Las Vegas case had a criminal background.
