Tesla truck catches fire, explodes outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel, resulting in 1 death
Eric Trump commended the fire department and local law enforcement, highlighting their “swift response and professionalism.”
TroibNews 
LAS VEGAS — Authorities reported that one person lost their life and seven others sustained injuries on Wednesday when a Tesla Cybertruck, seemingly loaded with fireworks, ignited and exploded outside Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.
During a news conference, officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department stated that a body had been located inside the futuristic pickup truck, and efforts were underway to recover it. Seven nearby individuals suffered minor injuries, with several transported to a hospital for treatment.
The fire, which occurred in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, was reported at approximately 8:40 a.m., according to a county spokesperson.
A law enforcement official revealed that the truck had been rented through the Turo app and seemed to be carrying fireworks. This information was shared under the condition of anonymity as the official was not authorized to speak publicly.
A Turo representative did not respond immediately to an email requesting comment.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, took to X on Wednesday afternoon to say, “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.” He added earlier on the platform, after attending a New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Law enforcement has not dismissed terrorism as a potential motive, as noted by a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office, mentioned to reporters. “We don’t have a lot of answers.”
President Joe Biden was informed about the explosion. Notably, the incident occurred just hours after a driver had deliberately crashed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, resulting in at least 15 fatalities before police shot the driver. That incident is being examined as a potential terrorist attack, with police believing the driver may have had accomplices.
Witness Ana Bruce, who was visiting from Brazil, recounted hearing three distinct explosions.
“One person died and seven others were injured Wednesday when a Tesla Cybertruck that appeared to be carrying fireworks caught fire and exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, authorities said.”
Bruce described her experience: “The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess, was the battery or something like that, and the third was the big one that smoked the entire area and was the moment when everyone was told to evacuate and stay away.”
Her travel companion, Alcides Antunes, shared video footage showing flames engulfing the sides of the silver vehicle.
The incident took place near the 64-story hotel, located just off the Las Vegas Strip and across from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.
Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, addressed the fire on X. He commended the fire department and local law enforcement “for their swift response and professionalism.”
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
During a news conference, officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department stated that a body had been located inside the futuristic pickup truck, and efforts were underway to recover it. Seven nearby individuals suffered minor injuries, with several transported to a hospital for treatment.
The fire, which occurred in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, was reported at approximately 8:40 a.m., according to a county spokesperson.
A law enforcement official revealed that the truck had been rented through the Turo app and seemed to be carrying fireworks. This information was shared under the condition of anonymity as the official was not authorized to speak publicly.
A Turo representative did not respond immediately to an email requesting comment.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, took to X on Wednesday afternoon to say, “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.” He added earlier on the platform, after attending a New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Law enforcement has not dismissed terrorism as a potential motive, as noted by a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office, mentioned to reporters. “We don’t have a lot of answers.”
President Joe Biden was informed about the explosion. Notably, the incident occurred just hours after a driver had deliberately crashed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, resulting in at least 15 fatalities before police shot the driver. That incident is being examined as a potential terrorist attack, with police believing the driver may have had accomplices.
Witness Ana Bruce, who was visiting from Brazil, recounted hearing three distinct explosions.
“One person died and seven others were injured Wednesday when a Tesla Cybertruck that appeared to be carrying fireworks caught fire and exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, authorities said.”
Bruce described her experience: “The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess, was the battery or something like that, and the third was the big one that smoked the entire area and was the moment when everyone was told to evacuate and stay away.”
Her travel companion, Alcides Antunes, shared video footage showing flames engulfing the sides of the silver vehicle.
The incident took place near the 64-story hotel, located just off the Las Vegas Strip and across from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.
Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, addressed the fire on X. He commended the fire department and local law enforcement “for their swift response and professionalism.”
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
