Updated January 4, 2025: The FBI and Las Vegas police now believe that Matthew Livelsberger, suspect in the Tesla Cybertruck explosion on New Year’s Day, suffered from PTSD and killed himself for personal reasons.
Livelsberger, who had served in Afghanistan, was an active duty Army Special Forces master sergeant and recipient of the Bronze Star with valor. Authorities say he shot himself in the head moments before the Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
A Series of Troubling Notes
Authorities recovered a charred cell phone containing notes that Livelsberger apparently wrote about his impending suicide.
“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call,” said one note. “Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
Parallels to the New Orleans Attack
Authorities are continuing to investigate whether the explosion was connected to the terrorist attack in New Orleans, which happened hours earlier.
“Do I think it’s a coincidence? I don’t know,” said Sheriff Kevin McMahill at a news conference in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.
Both attacks involved trucks
The Las Vegas truck held explosive materials, but in New Orleans the truck was the weapon
Both suspects served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, but there’s no evidence that they knew each other
The New Orleans suspect had an ISIS flag, and a Tesla exploding at a Trump Hotel could be symbolic
Both the Cybertruck and the F-150 were rented on Turo, a car sharing app
Las Vegas Sheriff: “Do I think it’s a coincidence? I don’t know…”
“Do I think it’s a coincidence? I don’t know,” said Sheriff Kevin McMahill at a news conference in Las Vegas on January 1, 2025. “We’re absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans.”
Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI’s acting Special Agent in Charge in Las Vegas, said the Bureau is intent on determining “whether this was an act of terrorism or not.”
