A decorated Army Green Beret's life came to a tragic end outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas amid mysterious circumstances involving a Tesla Cybertruck explosion.
According to AP News, Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old highly decorated soldier, shot himself in the head moments before his rented Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks exploded outside the hotel, causing minor injuries to seven people but minimal damage to the building.
The incident occurred early Wednesday morning when the vehicle detonated just feet away from the hotel's entrance. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill revealed that the steel-sided vehicle likely prevented a more devastating attack by containing much of the explosive force within its structure.
Livelsberger's distinguished military career included service in the Green Berets since 2006, with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and missions in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo.
His achievements were marked by five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, along with a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans addressed the potential motivations behind the incident, stating:
It's not lost on us that it's in front of the Trump building, that it's a Tesla vehicle, but we don't have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology.
Law enforcement officials, speaking anonymously, revealed that Livelsberger may have been experiencing relationship difficulties with his wife shortly before the incident. The soldier had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of his death.
McMahill traced Livelsberger's journey from Denver, where he rented the Tesla on Saturday, through various charging stations across Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The vehicle was last seen on surveillance footage approaching the Las Vegas Strip around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Investigators discovered multiple items in the charred wreckage, including two legally purchased firearms, fireworks, personal identification documents, and electronic devices. Kenny Cooper, ATF special agent in charge, noted:
The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.
The incident coincidentally occurred hours after another tragic event in New Orleans, where Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd in the French Quarter, killing 14 people before being fatally shot by police.
The incident has drawn attention from multiple law enforcement agencies working to piece together the events leading to the explosion. Investigators conducted a thorough search of Livelsberger's Colorado Springs townhouse, where neighbors described him as an ordinary family man living with his wife and baby.
The case has attracted additional scrutiny due to its connection to both Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has recently joined Trump's inner circle. Neither was present at the hotel during the incident, as both had attended Trump's New Year's Eve celebration in South Florida.
Despite superficial similarities to the New Orleans attack, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Chris Raia emphasized that investigators have found no definitive link between the two incidents, though both perpetrators had previously spent time at Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg.
