What we know about Colorado Springs man who is suspected in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A law enforcement official briefed on the probe into a car explosion outside of the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel is revealing new details about the suspect to ABC News.
Matthew Livelsberger has been identified as the person who rented the Cybertruck in Colorado from an app called Turo. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff says they have also identified him as the driver of the car, and he is now deceased.
Late Thursday afternoon, the Clark County, Nevada Coroner's Office officially confirmed his death as a suicide. It's believed he shot himself just before the car detonated.
Officials say the Cybertruck pulled into the valet area of the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel on Wednesday before exploding.
Two guns were found in the truck; one handgun and one rifle, according to officials.
Video from a Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans, and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.
A U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday that Livelsberger served in the Army and was on leave. An official told ABC News that he had a special forces background.
Investigators say Livelsberger worked in Afghanistan in 2009 and was stationed at Fort Liberty (formerly known as Fort Bragg). According to his LinkedIn, he worked in intelligence operations.
The official also told ABC News that the military is looking into whether he and the suspect in the attack in New Orleans had overlapped time together at Fort Liberty or in Afghanistan, but there is no evidence right now indicating the two knew each other.
"At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas," the FBI's Christopher Raia said Thursday morning at a press conference on the New Orleans attack.
On Wednesday, law enforcement took to the Eastside Landing Condo Complex in Colorado Springs, sealing off the area for an investigation the FBI confirmed was related to the explosion.
KRDO13 found records showing Livelsberger was registered to vote at the address, located off Carvel Grove.
Some neighbors tell KRDO13 that they never saw Livelsberger, but say they have seen a woman and baby living there.
ABC News has learned that investigators have spoken with Livelsberger's wife in Colorado Springs. She says that he would not hurt anyone. She also said that he had been in and out of the home after a dispute over infidelity allegations.
"You never know who your neighbor is no more. You know, it could be... it could come from a neighborhood like this, which is a friendly neighborhood," said one nearby resident, Jason Kessler.
A Turo spokesperson provided the following statement. The other individual referenced in this statement pertains to the attack in New Orleans, where the suspect also rented a car from the app.
“We remain shocked and saddened by yesterday’s horrific events, and our hearts are with the victims and their families. We are outraged by the misuse of our marketplace by the two individuals who perpetrated these acts.
-A Turo spokesperson
Every Turo renter is screened through a proprietary multi-layer, data-science-based trust and safety process. We utilize over 50 internal and external data sources to build, maintain, and improve on our best-in-class Turo Risk Score.
These individuals in question had valid driver’s licenses, clean background checks, one was honorably discharged from the US military, and the other was an active-duty Army green beret. They could have boarded any plane, checked into a hotel, or rented a car or truck from a traditional vehicle rental chain. We do not believe these two individuals would have been flagged by anyone – including Big Rental or law enforcement.
Turo operates a safe and trusted marketplace. As of September 30, 2024, we have collected data from over 90 million booked days, 27 million trips, 8.6 billion miles driven, through 12 years of operating history, less than 0.10% of Turo trips end with a serious incident such as a vehicle theft.”
If you have any information about the explosion that occurred yesterday at the Trump Las Vegas Hotel, you're encouraged to submit a tip online at https://ow.ly/hFPl50Uz53b or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
