1 Dead in Cybertruck Explosion Outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas

A Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames outside the front doors of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on the morning of Jan. 1, killing the car’s driver and injuring seven more.

Emergency personnel said that two people were hospitalized as a result of the apparent attack.

Authorities described the explosives in the vehicle as a combination of fireworks, camping fuel and gas tanks, according to CNN. Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of the car’s manufacturer Tesla, later claimed that the vehicle itself was not the cause of the explosion, writing on X: “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

Las Vegas police said they are investigating the incident as a crime and “possible act of terror.”

The electric vehicle was obtained via private rental app Turo, according to a law enforcement source who spoke with the Associated Press—the same app allegedly used by a man who plowed into a crowd of New Years’ revelers in a truck on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, killing 15 people and injuring more than 30 others. Authorities are also investigating that mass killing as an act of terrorism, and whether the two acts were connected.

Video from the scene shows the Cybertruck engulfed in a fire just outside the front doors of the hotel—which escaped the explosion without breaking.

The user who first posted a video of the explosion said that the car immediately burst into flames after parking at the hotel’s valet stand. Another social media user who shared a video from inside the hotel said that the “windows shook violently” after the explosion.

Eric Trump, who in his role as Trump Org executive vice president oversees the company’s hotels and other properties, thanked firefighters and law enforcement for their response on X.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority,” he wrote.