Authorities in Las Vegas are investigating the New Year’s Day Tesla Cybertruck explosion at the Trump International Hotel as a “possible act of terror,” ABC News has confirmed.
Footage of the incident, which left the driver of the electric vehicle dead and seven others injured, shows a load of “fireworks-style mortars” exploding into several bursts after the truck ignited, the outlet reported:
🚨New footage of the Tesla Cybertruck exploding in front of the Trump hotel
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) January 1, 2025
It looks like fireworks exploded
This was intentional
Someone was sending a message to Trump & Elon pic.twitter.com/aTpe0oM6jg
While the fire has been put out, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that the public should stay away from the area, and that they are treating the explosion like a possible criminal act and a possible act of terror.
“We believe everything is safe now,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a statement obtained by ABC, adding that “We don’t know what we don’t know.”
Acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Las Vegas, Jeremy Schwartz, confirmed that his team is joining the Las Vegas police on the investigation, CNN reported from an official news conference.
The vehicle fire was reported just after 8:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, McMahill noted at the briefing.
“There is one deceased individual inside the Cybertruck and I don’t know whether it is a male or a female at this time,” the sheriff said.
The seven bystanders who were hurt sustained “minor” injuries, he added.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his entire senior team is “investigating” in a post on his platform, X:
The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.
We’ve never seen anything like this. https://t.co/MpmICGvLXf
“The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. Will post more information as soon as we learn anything,” he said, adding, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, who serves as the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, also released a statement on X:
Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas. The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their…
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) January 1, 2025
“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” the younger Trump wrote. “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.”
