A Tesla Cybertruck loaded with canisters of gas and firework mortars exploded in front of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday, killing one person and injuring seven others, authorities said.
Police said they believe the explosion to be an isolated incident, but they haven’t ruled out a connection to the attack hours earlier in New Orleans , where a man in a pickup truck with an Islamic State flag plowed into a crowd , killing 15 and injuring at least 30 people.
The Cybertruck pulled up to the hotel front doors around 8:40 a.m. local time, according to Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Smoke was seen coming out of the electric vehicle as it parked at the entrance, then “a large explosion occurred,” he said at a news conference Wednesday.
The person inside the vehicle died, he said. Those who were hurt by the blast had minor injuries. Police said they know the name of the person who rented the Cybertruck, but aren’t ready to release that information yet.
The Cybertruck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas about 7:30 a.m. and went up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling into the hotel. It was parked for about 20 seconds before it exploded, McMahill said. Authorities were able to trace the truck through Tesla charging stations, he said.
McMahill said the design of the Cybertruck, which has a stainless-steel exterior, limited damage.
“It had most of the blast go up and out,” said McMahill, who showed pictures of the vehicle after the explosion with most of its exterior still intact. “The front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by that blast.”
The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is a 64-story tower with golden glass and nearly 1,300 rooms. Eric Trump , the son of President-elect Donald Trump , and an executive at the Trump Organization, which operates the company’s hotels, said the safety of guests is a top priority.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism,” he said in a post on X.
Billionaire Elon Musk , the chief executive of electric-car company Tesla , the maker of the Cybertruck, supported Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and has been by Trump’s side frequently since he won.
“Musk is working with President-elect Trump and it’s the Trump tower, so there’s obviously things to be concerned about there and that’s something we continue to look at,” McMahill said.
Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Musk said on X, the social-media platform he owns, that his team investigated the incident and that the explosion was “unrelated to the vehicle itself.”
Write to Joseph Pisani at joseph.pisani@wsj.com
