US army soldier Matthew Livelsberger named as man who died in Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas

The person who authorities believe died in the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside one of Donald Trump’s hotels was an active-duty army soldier, US officials have said.

Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the rented vehicle, which burst into flames in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, as Matthew Livelsberger, according to the AP news agency.

He was an army member who spent time at a base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a centre in North Carolina that is home to special forces command, they said. He had served as a member of the elite Special Forces unit, according to two US defence officials.

Livelsberger was still on active duty and on approved leave at the time of the explosion, they said.

Seven other people suffered minor injuries when the vehicle caught fire outside the Trump International Hotel.

The explosion is being looked at as a possible terror attack, officers have said. As yet, no cause for the explosion has been given, but fireworks mortars, cannisters and other explosive devices were found in the back of the truck.

Authorities investigating possible New Orleans link

The incident occurred just hours after a man drove a truck into crowds celebrating the New Year in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 15 people before being shot dead by police.

The suspect in that attack has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who was a US army veteran. An Islamic State flag was flown from the truck.

Authorities are looking into a “possible military connection” between the two men, Sky News’ US partner NBC News reports. Jabbar also spent time at Fort Bragg but one official said no overlap in their assignments there has been found so far.

Law enforcement officers are also looking into the fact both men used the Turo car app to rent the vehicles used in both incidents.

Read more:
‘Quiet and smart’ – what we know about New Orleans suspect

Sheriff Kevin McMahill, from Las Vegas police, has also said officers are investigating possible connections.

The truck involved in the explosion in Vegas was rented in Colorado and arrived in the city at 7.30am local time (3.30pm UK time), he said.

“It went immediately up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before immediately pulling into the Trump Towers,” Mr McMahill added.

The 64-storey hotel is just behind the famous Las Vegas Strip and opposite the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.

Tesla video helped track journey

Tesla is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk who has been a close ally of Mr Trump – donating millions to his successful 2024 US election campaign. He has also been tasked with leading Mr Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Mr McMahill said video captured at Telsa charging stations provided by Mr Musk helped authorities track the vehicle’s journey.

The Tesla boss provided officers with “quite a lot of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded,” he said, “as well as being able to capture all of the video from the Tesla charging stations across the country”.

Earlier, Mr Musk wrote on X: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.

“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

Eric Trump, one of Mr Trump’s sons, who is also executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, posted about the fire on X, praising the fire department and local law enforcement “for their swift response and professionalism”.

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