1 dead after Tesla Cybertruck explodes and catches fire outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas
One person was killed and seven were injured Wednesday when a Tesla Cybertruck that appeared to be transporting fireworks caught fire and exploded outside the Las Vegas hotel of US President-elect Donald Trump, authorities said.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire officials said at a news conference that one person died in the futuristic-looking pickup truck and that they were working to recover the body. Seven people nearby have minor injuries, and several of them were taken to the hospital.
The fire in the service room of the Trump International Las Vegas hotel was reported at 8:40 a.m., a district spokesman said in a statement.
According to law enforcement officials, the truck was rented through the Turo app and appeared to have a lot of fireworks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Tur’s spokesman did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Tesla is investigating, says Musk
Law enforcement officials have not ruled out terrorism as a possible motive, a person familiar with the matter said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about details of the investigation.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office, told reporters. “We don’t have many answers.”
President Joe Biden was notified of the explosion, which occurred several hours later the driver crashed his truck into the crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 10 people. The suspect was killed in a shootout with the police.
“The entire Tesla senior team is currently investigating this matter,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a statement on X, the social media platform he owns. – We have never seen anything like this.
The witness heard 3 explosions
In Las Vegas, witness Ana Bruce, who was visiting from Brazil, said she heard three explosions.
“The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess, was a battery or something, and the third one was the big one that smoked the whole area and that was when everyone was told to evacuate and stay away. ” said Bruce.
Her passenger, Alcides Antunes, showed a video he captured of flames engulfing the sides of the silver vehicle.
The 64-story hotel is located near the Las Vegas Strip and across the street from Fashion Show Las Vegas.
Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, released a statement about the fire at X, praising the fire department and local police “for their quick response and professionalism.”
