Army Green Beret Identified as Driver in Las Vegas Tesla Explosion
Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty U.S. Army Green Beret, has been identified as the driver of a Tesla Cyber Truck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The explosion killed Livelsberger and injured seven others.
Surveillance footage showed Livelsberger arriving in Las Vegas early on New Year’s Day in the rented Cybertruck. After driving along Las Vegas Boulevard, he stopped in front of the hotel, where the truck exploded.
Investigators reported that Livelsberger’s cause of death was a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Fireworks, gasoline containers, and camping fuel were found in the wreckage.
Livelsberger was stationed in Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group and was on leave at the time. A decorated veteran, he served in Afghanistan and received honors, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor. Authorities identified him using tattoos confirmed by his wife, with DNA tests ongoing.
The FBI and local authorities are investigating potential motives, including any symbolic connection to the Trump Hotel.
Officials emphasized no direct link between this incident and a separate attack earlier that day in New Orleans, where another Army veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a truck into a crowd, killing 15 people. Both men served in Afghanistan but were stationed at Fort Liberty at different times.
Authorities called the New Orleans attack a premeditated “act of terrorism.” Preliminary reports indicate that Jabbar had an ISIS flag in his vehicle at the time of the attack.