On Wednesday, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel, killing one person and injuring seven others.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department first received reports of an explosion and fire at the Trump International Hotel around 8:40 a.m. local time. Police said a 2024 Cybertruck was seen parked in front of the hotel and emitting smoke before the explosion.
One person inside the vehicle was killed and seven others sustained minor injuries.
Two sources close to the investigation told 8 News Now In Las Vegas, investigators say they believe the incident was intentional.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Las Vegas police are “very aware” of the terrorist attack that occurred in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. In the attack, a truck plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 10 people and injuring dozens more.
The FBI said a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) was found in a driver's car in New Orleans, and more potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter.
“As you can imagine, there was an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, so we are taking every precaution necessary to keep our community safe,” McMahill said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. .
“At this time, there appears to be no further threat to our community,” he added.
Law enforcement officials say the Cybertruck truck was rented through the Turo app and appeared to be carrying a large amount of fireworks. Associated Press. A Touro spokesperson said the app was also used to rent the car used in the New Orleans attack.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close friend of Trump, said in a post on his social media platform X that “Tesla's entire senior team” was investigating the incident. “I have never seen anything like this,” he added.
In a later post, the company said it confirmed the explosion was caused by “a very large firework or bomb that was in the bed of a rented Cybertruck” and was not related to the vehicle itself.
Eric Trump, the president-elect's son and business partner, said Wednesday that “the safety and health of our guests and staff remains our top priority.”
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local police for their quick response and professionalism,” he added to X.
Las Vegas' local station 8 News Now is owned by Nexstar, which also owns The Hill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
