Local authorities and the FBI are investigating a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas that left one person dead on Wednesday morning.
The driver of the car was killed in the blast and at least seven people who were nearby sustained minor injuries, officials said. The identity of the driver has not been made public.
The truck had pulled up to the hotel’s front lobby doors around 8:40 a.m., according to officials, and the vehicle soon began smoking from the inside. Seconds later, the car exploded, sending shrapnel flying.
In footage circulating on social media, it appeared that fireworks were also coming from the burned-out car. In a video posted on X, a purported guest posted a clip from inside the hotel that shows the truck ablaze and what sounds like numerous fireworks going off.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a close adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, claimed 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 wrote on X, later claiming that “law enforcement currently believes [the explosion] was most likely intentional.”
The incident is reportedly being investigated as a possible terrorist act, according to CNN. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
Special agent Jeremy Schwartz said the FBI was deploying additional resources to “figure out exactly what happened,” noting there were several unanswered questions. “Obviously, a Cybertruck, the Trump Hotel — there’s lots of questions that we have to answer as we move forward,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference.
Trump has not issued a statement on the explosion, but his son Eric J. Trump, who is a senior executive of the Trump Organization, said “the safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority.” “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism,” he said in a statement.
The explosion came hours after New Orleans was rocked by a deadly attack on New Year’s Day in what the FBI has called a “terrorist act.” At least 10 people were killed and more than 30 others were injured when a truck appeared to purposefully be driven into a crowd on Bourbon Street. A man later emerged from the car and opened fire. Police killed the suspect, who was identified by authorities as Texas resident and army veteran Shamsud Din Jabbar.
“We’re very well aware of what has happened in New Orleans with the event that occurred there,” McMahill added. “As you can imagine, with an explosion here on an iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe.”