Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside president-elect Donald Trump’s International Hotel in Las Vegas on January 1, 2025, killing the driver and injuring seven others. 

The explosion occurred just after 8:40am, when the vehicle was parked in the hotel’s valet area. 

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Authorities later discovered that the truck contained fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel, which were connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver. 

The FBI is investigating the incident, and it remains unclear whether the blast was an act of terrorism.

The driver of the truck, who has not yet been identified, rented the Cybertruck in Colorado before driving it to Las Vegas early that morning. 

Surveillance footage revealed the truck driving up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling up to the hotel and detonating.

FBI special agent in charge Jeremy Schwartz said: “I know everybody’s interested in that word, and trying to see if we can say, ‘Hey, this is a terrorist attack.’ That is our goal, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the blast was caused by the fireworks or a bomb, not the vehicle itself. 

“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.”

Local law enforcement, with assistance from Musk and Tesla, is continuing its investigation, but there are no confirmed connections to any other attacks.

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