Las Vegas Police: Man Who Detonated Cybertruck Died From Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said on Thursday that the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck in front of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas this week died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities identified the man responsible for the detonation as Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty U.S. Army Green Beret.

Officials were waiting for DNA verification to be completed to officially confirm his identity since the body was so severely disfigured.

A government identification card and passport belonging to Livelsberger were found inside the vehicle.

“Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the explosion occurred,” LVMPD said in a statement.

Police said that investigators found two firearms, fireworks, gas canisters, and other miscellaneous items as well.

“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Livelsberger was the only person killed in the explosion. Several people standing nearby were injured.

“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology,” said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge.

Officials said in a statement that he was “on approved leave from Germany served with the 10th Special Forces Group” when he detonated the explosives.

???? LVMPD Update on Vehicle Explosion

Yesterday, January 1, 2025, at approximately a.m., LVMPD responded to a vehicle explosion involving a Tesla Cyber Truck at a hotel property on Fashion Show Drive. One person was found deceased in the vehicle, and seven others sustained minor… pic.twitter.com/zT2mar9Tg1

— LVMPD (@LVMPD) January 2, 2025