LAS VEGAS, (FOX NEWS) — A Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, killing one person and injuring seven others, contained gasoline and camp fuel containers, as well as large firework mortars, according to authorities.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a press conference on Wednesday that investigators know who rented the Cybertruck, which was acquired in Colorado, though they are not prepared to identify that person without 100% certainty.
McMahill also said investigators were able to trace the truck through Tesla charging stations. License plate readers in Las Vegas first detected the vehicle at about 7:30 a.m., and McMahill said it traveled up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling into the Trump hotel valet area.
Within 15-20 seconds of pulling up to the hotel, the sheriff added, the vehicle exploded.
During the press conference, the sheriff showed a video of the truck bed, which showed it was filled with gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars.
But the sheriff also pointed to the exterior of the truck and how it was still completely intact after the explosion.
“The fact that this was a Cybertruck, really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out,” McMahill said. “In fact, if you look on that video, you’ll see that the front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by the blast.”
While the blast did not damage the glass doors, seven individuals sustained minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital.
As for all the guests at the hotel, they were taken in by another hotel as the investigation into the explosion continues.
Like McMahill, Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI acting special agent in charge in Las Vegas, would not identify the person inside the vehicle, saying, “Our number one goal is to ensure that we have proper identification of the subject involved in the incident.”
The second objective, Schwartz said, was to determine whether the explosion was an act of terrorism, which is being investigated by a joint terrorism task force.
The special agent said the task force is made up of law enforcement officials from the area.
“We’re not doing anything alone, and we wouldn’t do anything alone without our partners making sure that we’re all in lockstep,” Schwartz said. “We’ve learned from mistakes in the past, and we’re not going to do that again.”
The Cybertruck explosion was the second suspicious deadly incident in a major city since the start of 2025.
