A decorated Army veteran who died by suicide inside a Tesla Cybertruck just before it exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas intended the New Year’s Day incident to be a “wake up call” for the nation, according to investigators.
Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, left notes on his cellphone explaining that the explosion was a planned stunt. He also wrote of needing to “cleanse” his mind and relieve himself of the burden of lives lost and taken during his military service. Livelsberger had served in the Army since 2006, including two deployments to Afghanistan.
Authorities released a note on Friday where Livelsberger stated, “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives.”
While the explosion resulted in minor injuries to seven individuals, the Trump International Hotel itself sustained minimal damage. Investigators have confirmed that Livelsberger acted alone in the incident.
Livelsberger’s notes touched upon a range of issues, including political discontent, societal problems, and international concerns like the war in Ukraine. He expressed a bleak outlook in one note, stating that the U.S. was “terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”
Tesla engineers assisted investigators in retrieving data from the Cybertruck. This data revealed Livelsberger’s route from Colorado, through New Mexico and Arizona, to Las Vegas, including stops at charging stations, according to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren.
“We still have a large volume of data to go through,” Koren stated, emphasizing the extensive analysis needed of “thousands if not millions of videos and photos and documents and web history and all of those things.”
The ongoing investigation is exploring whether Livelsberger intended to make a political statement by targeting the Trump-branded hotel with the Tesla Cybertruck.
Law enforcement officials indicated that Livelsberger harbored no animosity toward President-elect Donald Trump. In fact, one of his notes urged the country to “rally around” both Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Musk has recently become closer to Trump, joining his inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas on the day of the explosion. Both had recently attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve celebration in South Florida.
FBI Special Agent in Charge in Las Vegas, Spencer Evans, commented on the situation, stating, “Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues.”
Livelsberger’s death was determined to be from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Investigators are still piecing together how Livelsberger managed to shoot himself inside the Cybertruck while simultaneously detonating the fireworks and camp fuel that caused the explosion.
Among the items recovered from the charred Cybertruck were a handgun found near Livelsberger’s feet, another firearm, fireworks, a passport, military identification, credit cards, an iPhone, and a smartwatch. Authorities confirmed that both firearms were legally purchased.
Alt text: Farmer Matthew Keller in his pig barn, illustrating the impact of Trump’s trade policies.
In recent years, Livelsberger had confided in Alicia Arritt, a former girlfriend and Army nurse, about experiencing significant pain and exhaustion, which she attributed to traumatic brain injury.
Arritt, 39, who met Livelsberger in Colorado in 2018, recounted his struggles with exhaustion, persistent pain, and recurring memories of violence from his Afghanistan deployments.
Text messages Livelsberger sent to Arritt early in their relationship, shared with The Associated Press, revealed his internal turmoil: “My life has been a personal hell for the last year.”
Green Berets are elite U.S. Army special forces known for expertise in guerrilla warfare and unconventional tactics. Livelsberger had a distinguished military career, serving in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo. He had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of his death.
His military honors included five Bronze Stars, one with a valor device for bravery in combat, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
On Thursday, authorities searched a townhouse in Livelsberger’s Colorado Springs hometown as part of the ongoing investigation. Neighbors described Livelsberger as seemingly normal, with a wife and baby.
Cindy Helwig, a neighbor living across the street, recalled seeing him recently when he borrowed a tool to repair an SUV, describing him as “a normal guy.”
The Cybertruck explosion occurred hours after a separate incident in New Orleans, where Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, drove a truck into a crowd in the French Quarter on New Year’s Day. This New Orleans attack, which resulted in casualties and Jabbar’s death by police gunfire, is being investigated by the FBI as a potential terrorist act, with authorities believing Jabbar acted alone.
Alt text: Trucks crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Canada to the US, representing trade and tariffs.
Alt text: President Trump and President Xi Jinping meeting in Beijing, related to US-China trade relations and tariffs.
