Tesla Cybertruck explodes, killing 1 outside Trump Hotel in Vegas

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded and caught fire outside the Trump Towers in Las Vegas, according to officials and video showing the vehicle engulfed in flames. A person inside the vehicle died and there seven others suffered minor injuries, police said.

“There is one deceased individual in the Cybertruck, and I don’t know whether it’s a male or female,” said Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at a press conference.

He added, “At this time, we are investigating a number of leads, and I’m not prepared to release any of that information to you just yet. We can. I can tell you that there are seven victims right now that sustained injuries from the explosion.” He said those injuries are reportedly minor. 

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known. McMahill noted that officials are “very well aware” of the deadly New Orleans attack on Wednesday, when a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers, killing at least 10 people. Because of the timing, he said that officials are “taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe.”

“We’re looking for secondary devices,” he added.

Eric Trump, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s sons, wrote about the fire on social media on Wednesday, saying that an “electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas.” 

In the past year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become a close advisor to Trump, with the billionaire tasked to head up Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Musk, along with his co-leader of DOGE, Vivek Ramaswamy, are aiming to cut billions in federal spending.