It’s not yet known what led to the detonation of incendiary materials in a Tesla Cybertruck on the morning of New Year’s Day in front of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, in a blast that killed the driver and injured seven others. So far, law enforcement has only confirmed that the deceased was Matthew Alan Livelsberger, an active-duty Army Green Beret they believe rented the truck in Colorado, and that he was a special forces master sergeant on approved leave at the time of his death. He also likely shot himself before the truck ignited, Las Vegas police said.
But while the FBI and local officers sift through the wreckage of what appears to be an intentional explosion of gas tanks, camping fuel, and fireworks, and hunt for clues as to Livelsberger’s motivation, Cybertruck enthusiasts are looking for a silver lining.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, with video and images of the flaming truck going viral across social media, some in online Cybertruck forums expressed concern about a possible mechanical issue, or a potential connection to the terrorist attack in New Orleans just hours before, in which the driver of a Ford F-150 Lightning truck plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers out late on Bourbon Street, killing at least 14 before he was fatally shot by police. That suspect, like Livelsberger, had an Army background, and both men rented electric trucks from the car-sharing app Turo.
The FBI, however, has said that the New Orleans attacker acted alone, and with the Cybertuck itself apparently absolved of any malfunction in the Vegas inferno, the community turned to damage control. They quickly accused the press of spreading “FUD,” or “fear, uncertainty, and doubt,” market shorthand for content that is damaging to a brand like Tesla, which counts many customers as avid investors. “The media will soon jump on this CT story and spread the FUD,” wrote a commenter on the forum Cybertruck Owners Forum. “It never ends.” Since its release in 2023 following years of delays, the angular, stainless steel-paneled truck has been a favorite of Tesla’s most devoted fans but an object of ridicule for other motorists, and plagued by breakdowns, recalls, and glaring design flaws — all of which have made Cybertruck owners a touch defensive when it comes to their futuristic rides.
Once it was reported that an individual had evidently blown up the truck in Vegas on purpose, Cybertruck owners following the story speculated that he had chosen the truck due to media coverage about how challenging it can be for firefighters to put out fires from lithium-ion batteries like those found in Tesla products. Most indicated that they feel such stories are overblown. One forum member described Livelsberger and the New Orleans driver as “idiots that thought EVs would explode and cause massive damage since they have been told that by media and other people repeating it.” (Incidentally, a Cybertruck on a dealership lot in Georgia was engulfed in flames two days earlier, with fire officials saying they were investigating whether the battery had caused the blaze.)
There was even discussion of removing the phrase “Cybertruck Explosion” from the title of the discussion thread on Cybertruck Owners Forum, with some arguing it was misleading. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, for his part, publicly mused on X (formerly Twitter) that he might sue Business Insider for publishing an accurate headline about a “Tesla Cybertruck explosion,” and wrote of similar articles: “You don’t hate the legacy media enough.” But the litigious billionaire and his cadre of true believers soon pivoted to another talking point, claiming that unusual build of the Cybertruck prevented a worse outcome. “The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,” Musk crowed on X, sharing a video in which police said the truck “limited the damage” in the surrounding area. “Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards,” he wrote. “Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”
Likewise, Cybertruck owners decided that the attack actually made the truck more appealing. “That truck absolutely did eat that blast; what a tough machine!!” raved one driver. Another was more effusive still: “Far as I’m concerned, Cybertruck saved lives and property in the real world,” they commented. “I think it’s good advertising for Cybertruck.” Musk himself also replied to an X post proclaiming that the bomber had launched “ad campaign” for the truck, writing, “I’m pretty sure we could get it running again too.” Of course, it’s by no means clear that a Cybertruck would withstand the detonation of stronger explosive materials often used in car bombs.
Musk, who has amplified countless conspiracy theories since on his social media site since acquiring it in late 2022, pointed to linkages between Livelsberger and the New Orleans attacker, including the facts that they had both rented through Turo and spent time at North Carolina’s Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg). Yet he did not make note of the Cybertruck erupting in flames on the doorstep of a property with President-elect Donald Trump’s name on it. Observers have theorized various political messages in the conjunction of the flashy, gilded hotel with a vehicle from the company of the man who spent a quarter of a billion dollars to put Trump back in the White House. Reached by The Independent, Livelsberger’s uncle, Dean Livelsberger, said that his nephew “loved Trump,” further complicating the picture.
And while Musk shared updates of Tesla’s “investigation” into the Las Vegas explosion throughout New Year’s Day, he was not immediately forthcoming about the nature of his cooperation with law enforcement. Police revealed in a press conference that Musk had remotely unlocked the vehicle for them and forwarded video footage captured by the truck at charging stations as Livelsberger had driven from Colorado to Nevada, underscoring how Tesla drivers are at the mercy of the company when it comes to their privacy and control of their cars.
Amid this chaotic beginning to 2025, Tesla announced Thursday that its annual sales had slightly declined for the first time in company history as new electric vehicle options emerge in the U.S. and around the globe. The news extended a weeklong slide for Tesla stock. There’s evidence that sales of the Cybertruck in particular have stalled even as Tesla has offered cheaper models and other incentives to customers, with unsold inventory piling up.
In the grand scheme, then, a single torched truck could be the least of Tesla’s problems this year. As for the Cybertruck line, it remains to be seen whether the Vegas attack convinces anyone besides a few ideologically primed individuals to buy them. Musk did share an X post from Jared Fleming, a former Turning Points USA director who identifies his account his account as “anti-woke,” in which he vowed to purchase the truck. “That’s it. I’m buying a Cybertruck,” he wrote. “In fact, the most pro-American thing you can do is buy a Cybertruck. You could save lives.”