Las Vegas authorities are still searching for a motive after a former Green Beret killed himself in a Cybertruck outside Trump Tower on New Year's Day.

Las Vegas Metro Police

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

U.S.

Musk aids Vegas police, says Cybertruck contained explosion at Trump Tower

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Ian Kennedy (Lead Video Editor)

Las Vegas authorities said they still have no clear motive for why an Army soldier drove a Cybertruck in front of the Trump Tower in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, intending to kill himself and set off an explosion. Law enforcement is still searching for answers, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken a central role in the investigation. Musk reportedly sent a team to Las Vegas to assist investigators in extracting data and video from the remains of the Cybertruck.

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The Las Vegas sheriff has praised Musk’s assistance, noting that the truck contained “a tremendous number of cameras” and that Musk provided authorities with footage from Tesla’s charging stations.

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The sheriff said the footage is already helping investigators track the movements of Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger, who traveled from Colorado to the Las Vegas Strip over several days.

While Musk is providing evidence to officials in Las Vegas, he is also weighing in on an online debate: Why did the explosion cause minimal damage?

On X, Musk said, “The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”

The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards.

Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken. https://t.co/9vj1JdcRZV
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025

In another post, Musk boasted about the Cybertruck’s durability, sharing a conservative activist’s comment that called the incident a “Cybertruck ad campaign” and adding, “I’m pretty sure we could get it running again too.”

While some suggest the Cybertruck’s strength contained the explosion, others point to Livelsberger’s extensive military background, claiming he had the expertise to create a more lethal blast.

The Washington Post reports that investigators have primarily found evidence of fireworks and fuel, with a car analyst telling the paper he doesn’t believe Musk’s claims.

“You didn’t really have an explosion as much as you had a bonfire,” Karl Brauer, Iseecars.com executive analyst, told the Post. “I’m not at all convinced that the Cybertruck being so strong is the reason it blew upward.”

Kenneth Cooper, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives San Francisco division, seemed to agree.

“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” Cooper said.

Fellow Green Berets, including Livelsberger, have a “sophisticated understanding of explosives and how bombs work,” according to group chats reviewed by The New York Times. Some of his comrades speculated that Livelsberger may have struggled with mental illness.

Family members of Livelsberger have suggested he wouldn’t have wanted to cause damage to the Trump Hotel, as he was a staunch Trump supporter, according to sources who spoke to The Independent and The Daily Beast. The New York Post reports that Livelsberger’s wife left him days before the attack.

As investigators work to find concrete answers, speculation continues over the motive behind the New Year’s Day explosion.

Tags: Cybertruck, Twitter, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Trump Organization, Social Media, Las Vegas

[Karah]

AS OF THIS RECORDING –

AUTHORITIES SAY THEY STILL HAVE NO MOTIVE IN WHAT MADE AN ARMY SOLDIER DECIDE TO DRIVE A CYBERTRUCK IN FRONT OF THE TRUMP TOWER IN VEGAS WITH THE INTENTION TO SHOOT HIMSELF DEAD AND SET OFF AN EXPLOSION.

WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT STILL SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS –

ELON MUSK IS TAKING A CENTRAL POSITION IN THE INVESTIGATION AS CEO OF TESLA.

ELON MUSK HAS REPORTEDLY SENT A TESLA TEAM TO LAS VEGAS TO HELP INVESTIGATORS EXTRACT DATA AND VIDEO FROM WHAT’S LEFT OF THE CYBERTRUCK.

THE LAS VEGAS SHERIFF APPLAUDING MUSK FOR HIS HELP –

SAYING THE TRUCK CONTAINED “A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF CAMERAS”.

AND MUSK PROVIDED AUTHORITIES WITH FOOTAGE FROM TESLA’S CHARGING STATIONS.

THE SHERIFF SAYING IT’S ALREADY HELPING INVESTIGATORS PIECE TOGETHER “SERGEANT MATTHEW ALAN LIVELSBERGER’S” DAYSLONG TRIP FROM COLORADO TO THE VEGAS STRIP.

WHILE MUSK IS OFFERING **EVIDENCE TO OFFICIALS IN VEGAS –

HE’S ALSO OFFERING HIS **TWO CENTS IN A DEBATE THAT HAS TAKEN OFF ONLINE.

WHY DID THE EXPLOSION CAUSE MINIMAL DAMAGE?

MUSK SAYING ON X –

“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”

AND IN ANOTHER POST – BOASTING THE CYBERTRUCK’S DURABILITY –

MUSK REPOSTS A CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST CALLING THE INCIDENT A “CYBERTRUCK AD CAMPAIGN” –

AND ADDING “I’m pretty sure we could get it running again too.”

WHILE SOME ARE SUGGESTING THE STRENGTH OF THE CYBERTRUCK CONTAINED THE EXPLOSION –

OTHERS POINT TO LIVELSBERGER EXTENSIVE MILITARY BACKGROUND, SAYING HE HAD THE KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE A MORE LETHAL BLAST.

THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTS INVESTIGATORS HAVE MOSTLY FOUND EVIDENCE OF FIREWORKS AND FUEL –

WITH A CAR ANALYST TELLING THE POST –

“You didn’t really have an explosion as much as you had a bonfire. I’m not at all convinced that the Cybertruck being so strong is the reason it blew upward.”

AND A SPECIAL AGENT WITH THE BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES SAYING –

“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.”

FELLOW SOLDIERS AGREED WITH THAT SENTIMENT IN GROUP CHATS REVIEWED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES.

FELLOW GREEN BERETS – LIKE LIVELSBERGER – SAY THEY HAVE “SOPHISTICATED UNDERSTANDING OF EXPLOSIVES AND HOW BOMBS WORK.

SOME SPECULATED LIVELSBERGER COULD HAVE STRUGGLED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.

FAMILY OF LIVELSBERGER SPECULATE HE WOULDN’T HAVE ACTUALLY WANTED TO CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE TRUMP HOTEL BECAUSE HE WAS AN AVID TRUMP SUPPORTER – ACCORDING TO SOURCES WHO SPOKE TO THE INDEPENDENT AND DAILY BEAST.

THE NEW YORK POST IS REPORTING LIVELSBERGER’S WIFE LEFT HIM DAYS BEFORE THE ATTACK.

FOR NOW –

AS INVESTIGATORS WORK TO FIND CONCRETE ANSWERS –

SPECULATION CONTINUES OVER THE MOTIVE BEHIND THE NEW YEAR’S DAY EXPLOSION.

WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UPDATES OUT OF LAS VEGAS —

AND YOU CAN TOO.

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