One person was killed and seven others were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded into flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.
Officials said that the vehicle was observed completely engulfed in flames in the valet area of the hotel.
A person inside the Tesla died, while seven other people in the surrounding area suffered minor injuries, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference. Two of those injured were transported to a local hospital.
Guests of the hotel were immediately evacuated and transferred to the Resorts World Hotel, according to the sheriff.
Tesla founder Elon Musk later said that explosives were discovered inside the rented vehicle.
“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,” Musk wrote in a post on the X social media platform. “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
Gas canisters and large fireworks mortars were found in the vehicle, authorities confirmed in a Wednesday evening press conference.
The sheriff also noted that the walls of the electric vehicle remained fully intact during the explosion and that damage to the surrounding area was limited because of “the fact that this was a Cybertruck.”
The front glass doors of the Trump hotel “were not even broken,” McMahill said.
McMahill said the vehicle was rented in Colorado, arrived in Las Vegas at 7:30 a.m., and “went up and down” Las Vegas Boulevard before finally parking at the Trump Hotel. It was parked for 15–20 seconds before it exploded.
Authorities know the identity of the person who rented the Cybertruck and declined to release details.
The fiery explosion happened as authorities were already on high alert after a deadly terrorist attack earlier on Wednesday morning in the iconic French Quarter of New Orleans. Federal investigators identified Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, as the man who purposely rammed a rented pickup truck carrying a black ISIS flag and explosives into a crowd around 3:15 a.m. on Bourbon Street as people were celebrating the new year. Authorities said 15 people were killed.
Musk speculated that the Las Vegas incident was perhaps “linked in some way” to the New Orleans attack, noting that both the vehicles were borrowed from rental car company Turo. Authorities have not connected the two incidents.
“Appears likely to be an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way,” Musk wrote on X.
The sheriff also said that so far there is no indication that the explosion was linked to ISIS.
In discussing the New Orleans attack in a nationwide address Wednesday evening, President Joe Biden said that law enforcement and the intelligence community are also probing the Las Vegas incident and the “possibility” that the two are linked, also reiterating that so far there is no evidence that they are connected.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organization and the second son of President-elect Donald Trump, confirmed the vehicle fire on New Year’s Day, and said that the incident happened in the valet area in front of the hotel.
“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” Eric Trump wrote in a post on X. “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.”
Images of the vehicle fire quickly circulated on social media, showing what appeared to be an explosion as the vehicle caught fire near the entrance to the hotel. Some witnesses reported online that they heard a loud bang and saw clouds of smoke near the hotel.
One witness and hotel guest posted a video shot from inside the hotel lobby.
“Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas,” the user wrote in a post on X. “Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened.”
According to local media outlet KSNV, the explosion was reported at 8:40 a.m. local time.
The Trump Hotel is located at 2000 Fashion Drive, which is on the north end of the famous Las Vegas Strip. Many people had traveled to the city to ring in the New Year.
According to local media outlet KTNV, Fashion Show Drive is closed in both directions from Sammy Davis Jr. Drive to Las Vegas Boulevard while authorities investigate the incident.
Authorities confirmed there is no further threat to the public.
“I just want to remind the community that everything is safe now,” the sheriff said.
The incident happened as authorities were already on high alert after a deadly terrorist attack earlier on Wednesday morning in the iconic French Quarter of New Orleans, which is also considered a popular tourist destination.
Police are urging the public to avoid the area around the hotel as they investigate the deadly vehicle fire.