LAS VEGAS — The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of a Las Vegas hotel on New Year's Day has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier who lived in Colorado Springs.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
He has multiple Colorado Springs addresses associated to him. FBI agents were staking out one of those addresses on Marksheffel Road late Wednesday awaiting a search warrant.
The FBI Denver, Denver Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Colorado Springs Police Department on Thursday morning confirmed they were conducting an investigation.
Livelsberger died in the explosion outside the Trump Hotel Wednesday morning. Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found inside the truck.
BREAKING—Multiple informed sources have confirmed to Denver7 Investigates that the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded earlier today in Las Vegas is Matthew Livelsberger who lived in Colorado Springs. @DenverChannel
— Tony Kovaleski (@TonyKovaleski) January 2, 2025
Investigators had spoken to Livelsberger's wife in Colorado Springs, who told them Livelsberger had been gone from their house since around Christmas following an argument, according to ABC News.
Late Wednesday, Denver7 Investigates learned that Livelsberger served at the same Army base as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in a New Orleans truck rampagehours earlier.
Authorities confirmed that report Thursday, revealing the two men overlapped at Fort Bragg and in Afghanistan – though no evidence suggests they knew each other.
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Suspects in Vegas, New Orleans attacks served at same Army base, police confirm
The sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Kevin McMahill, confirmed the truck used in the attack was rented in Colorado and driven to Nevada. The truck was rented via the Turo app in Colorado Springs.
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McMahill said investigators were able to track the truck’s journey from Colorado to Las Vegas as the driver stopped at charging stations along the route.
A Turo spokesperson released the following statement:
"We are heartbroken by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and families. We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents. We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals."
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials said in a news conference that a person died inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck and they were working to get the body out. Seven people nearby had minor injuries and several were taken to a hospital.
The fire in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas was reported at 8:40 a.m., a county spokesperson said in a statement.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that "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.”
"The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now,” Musk said in an earlier post on the platform after attending a New Year's Eve party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Law enforcement officials have not ruled out terrorism as a possible motive, a person familiar with the matter said.