The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year's Day has been identified as active-duty U.S. Army soldier Matthew Libersberger, The Associated Press reported, citing law enforcement officials.
The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. Libersberger, 37, has multiple addresses and was on leave from Germany, where he served with the 10th Special Forces Group.
The truck reportedly stopped outside the hotel at about 8:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday and exploded about 15 to 20 seconds later. The explosion killed Libersberger and injured seven others.
Authorities said the truck was loaded with containers of gasoline and camping fuel, as well as a large mortar shell used for fireworks. Video of the incident shows the truck exploding into a ball of fire, with fireworks shooting off in all directions. Some people were even close to the burning truck.
An Army spokesperson told Fox News that Libersberger began active duty in the Army in January 2006 and reached the rank of sergeant major. Libersberger spent time at the base, formerly known as Fort Bragg, a large Army base in North Carolina and home to Army Special Forces.
Investigators photograph a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the lobby of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year's Day. (Wade Vandervoort/AFP via Getty Images)
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Mr. Livelsberger enlisted in the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He began active duty in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier.
Additionally, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command confirmed that Libersberger was on approved leave at the time of his death.
Records viewed by Fox News Digital show that Libersberger's most recent address is a U.S. military overseas mailing address. Before that, homes are listed in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and before that, apartments are listed in Colorado Springs, Colorado. FBI Denver posted on Thursday that X was at his home in Colorado Springs and expected to stay for several hours. The investigation is related to the Las Vegas explosion.
A relative told CBS News they hadn't heard from Libersberger's wife for several days.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Wednesday that the Cybertruck was rented in Colorado.
Early Wednesday morning, 42-year-old U.S.-born Shamsud Din Jabbar… I lived in Texas, He drove a white pickup truck into a crowd on New Orleans' famous Bourbon Street, killing 15 people. The FBI announced that it is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
On Thursday, the FBI in Houston announced it had conducted a court-authorized search and cleared the 12000 block of Crescent Peak Drive in connection with the New Orleans attack. The agency said it could not provide further details about the search as there was no threat to residents in the area and “the investigation is ongoing.”
The truck Jabbar drove, like the Cybertruck that went up in flames in Las Vegas, was rented from peer-to-peer car rental company Turo. An ISIS flag was also attached to the trailer hitch of the vehicle Jabar rented.
The Cybertruck did not have an ISIS flag like the truck in New Orleans.
Flames erupt from a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on January 1, 2025 in Las Vegas. (Alcides Antunes/via Reuters)
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A Turo spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the company does not believe any of the renters involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks have criminal histories that would pose a security threat. Ta.
Meanwhile, McMahill said the Cybertruck survived most of Wednesday's explosion and remained completely unharmed.
“Due to the fact that this was a Cybertruck, most of the explosion went through the truck and out, so the damage that occurred inside the attendant was very limited,” McMahill said. “In fact, if you watch that video, you'll see that the front glass door of the Trump Hotel wasn't even broken by the blast.”
Preliminary investigations to this point have included input from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who said McMahill said the force of the explosion could have caused the vehicle to explode. It is said that a considerable amount of information has been obtained as to whether it has been locked or not.
Law enforcement investigated the scene after someone drove a car into a crowd at Canal Street and Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Musk also helped capture surveillance footage from Tesla charging stations across the country.
The billionaire kept his followers updated on the Cybertruck explosion on social media platform X.
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by a very large firework or bomb in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and was unrelated to the vehicle itself. Telemetry from the vehicle at the time of the explosion all tested positive,” Musk wrote. In one post.
“The evil knuckleheads chose the wrong vehicle for their terrorist attack. The Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed it upwards,” he said in another post. The glass door in the lobby was not broken either.
