Wednesday, a Tesla Cybertruck caught on fire outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven others. The FBI was investigating whether the explosion was the work of a terrorist. Video of the Cybertruck ablaze as it sat outside the hotel where it was a part of the Trump Organization was captured on witness video. It comes just hours after a truck plowed into crowds in New Orleans, killing 15.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a high profile supporter for President-elect Donald Trump during his 2024 campaign, said the explosion wasn’t done by the Cybertruck itself. Musk posted on X that ‘we have confirmed the explosion was due to large fireworks and or bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck unrelated to the vehicle.’
The high profile nature of the incident has been acknowledged by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill. There are quite a few questions we have to ask a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel, he said at a press conference. The FBI said the driver of the Cybertruck had been identified, but would not identify them. Cybertruck, a 2024 model reserved for rent through Turo, was being prepped with an explosive device, say preliminary indications.
It was contained by the Las Vegas firefighters within minutes from reporting. Five people were injured with two hospitalized and others had minor injuries. Executive vice president of Trump Organization Eric Trump gave comment on X, saying it looked like an explosion in the hotel’s porte cochère a covered passageway leading to the front door and it was an ‘electric vehicle fire.’
The Trump International Hotel was evacuated and guests were moved. The FBI is meanwhile trying to determine if this explosion is connected to the previous New Orleans attack. Using the car-sharing platform Turo to rent both vehicles, it was the first to say it had no evidence of a criminal background for either renter and is working with authorities. It comes as heightened scrutiny continues as it underscores ongoing security concerns in high profile locations.
