Matthew Livelsberger Identified As Alleged Driver Of Cybertruck That Exploded Outside Trump Hotel

The explosion left seven people injured and the valet area of the Trump Hotel damaged.

An active-duty US Army Green Beret, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, has been identified as the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday, January 1.

According to CNN, Livelsberger was an Army Special Forces operations master sergeant, a senior enlisted rank, and he was on active duty in Germany with the 10th Special Forces Green Beret Group. He was on leave at the time of the explosion, officials stated.

A former colleague in the Army with Livelsberger described their shock over his alleged connection to the explosion. They described him as a decorated combat veteran with an extensive background in both Special Forces and explosives, which seemed disjunctive with the nature of the crime. They added that Livelsberger seemed to support Trump as well.

“When President Trump was in office, [Livelsberger] would comment on his Facebook page about the things President Trump had said or done or how he’s helping the military,” the colleague told CNN.

“Matt had a lot of respect for Mr. Trump – he just loved the guy.”

Kevin McMahill, the Las Vegas Sheriff, stated at a news conference the next day that the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck used in the explosion shot himself in the head in the wake of the blast that injured at least seven people outside of the Trump hotel.

McMahill explained that although authorities have not officially identified Livelsberger as the person who was found inside the Cybertruck, as the body was burned beyond recognition, the department believes it to be Livelsberger because of identifying marks.

The motivations behind the explosion have not been identified yet.

Authorities have created a timeline for the explosion in the days following the incident. It began after the Cybertruck was rented by who they believe to be Livelsberger on December 28 in Denver and traveled to Las Vegas after making stops at Tesla charging stations in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. After the truck entered the city early on the morning of New Year’s Day, it arrived at the Trump Hotel. Inside the vehicle, fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel were placed inside the bed of the truck and detonated by a remote-controlled device.

The explosion, although powered by amounts of flammable and volatile fuel, was not as devastating as it could have been. The explosion left marks outside of the Trump Hotel in the valet area, and seven people were injured. However, the damage could have been much worse if not for the vehicle’s tough and nearly indestructible body construction.

Experts stated that the Cybertruck actually contained much of the blast within it, and most of the blast was directed upwards from the roof of the body, protecting the building from more damage.

McMahill said, “The fact that this was a Cybertruck limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast. Up through the truck and out.”

He explained, “You’ll see that the front glass doors at the Trump Hotel were not even broken by that blast, which they were parked directly in front of.”