Samuel Corum via Getty Images
Las Vegas police expressed their appreciation for Tesla CEO Elon Musk's assistance after a Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel on New Year's Day.
"I have to thank Elon Musk specifically," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"He gave us quite a bit of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded due to the nature of the force from the explosion as well as being able to capture all of the video from Tesla charging stations across the country, he sent that directly to us so I appreciate his help on that," the sheriff added.
The explosion, which took place at 8:40 a.m. Las Vegas time, left one dead and seven injured. The driver, who was killed in the explosion, has not been named.
McMahill told reporters that the Cybertruck's cargo bed contained gasoline canisters, fuel canisters, and "larger mortar fireworks." The FBI is trying to determine whether the blast was an act of terrorism.
"The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards," Musk wrote in an X post on the same day, echoing McMahill's remarks at the press conference.
The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken. https://t.co/9vj1JdcRZV
"The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out," McMahill said at the press conference.
"In fact, if you look on that video you'll see that the front glass doors of the Trump hotel were not even broken by that blast which they were parked directly in front of," he added.
A video of the blown-up Cybertruck was also shown during the briefing. The vehicle's cargo bed was torched by the explosion, but its hull appeared to be otherwise intact, per the footage.
Tesla did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
The blast happened just hours after a driver plowed into a crowd of people in New Orleans with a rented Ford pickup truck.
At least 15 people were killed during the New Orleans attack. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that authorities are investigating if the two incidents are linked.
"The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now," Musk wrote on X following the explosion in Las Vegas.
Musk wrote in a subsequent X post that "the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."
"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion," he added.
The Cybertruck was first announced by Tesla in November 2019, but design changes saw the its release get delayed from 2021 to 2023.
When Musk first unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019, he said that the vehicle will be made from the same stainless-steel alloy used in SpaceX's Starship rocket.
The Cybertruck's skin "is literally bulletproof to a 9-mm handgun," Musk said.
"So, you know, when you say something's built tough, that's what we mean," he added.
