The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump International Airport Las Vegas hotel US officials said the suspect was identified on New Year's Day as 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a member of the US Army from Colorado.
Police said Livelsberger was shot in the head, and police believe he shot himself before blowing up the car.
Authorities used his tattoos, along with his credit cards, Military ID And a passport to identify him at the scene of the accident.
“There are two tattoos, one on the stomach and one on the arm, and we can see parts of it, compared to what we now know was on his body.” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Thursday.
“That gave us a lot of confidence that this was in fact the same person, in addition to what was clearly obvious, which was the credit cards, military ID and passport,” he added.
One dead and 7 injured after a Tesla truck explodes outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas: police
Matthew Livelsperger poses in an undated photo. (Fox News)
Las Vegas police obtained confirmation that Matthew Livelsberger was a person of interest in the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas on Wednesday, using identification forms found in the truck, as well as a tattoo on his arm. (Las Vegas City Police press conference)
Military profession:
The 37-year-old recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of the incident, according to a US official.
He served in the army since 2006 and rose through the ranks.
“Sergeant Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted at the rank of 18X and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011. Livelsperger then joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, then joined the Army Reserves from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered active duty Army In December 2012 it was US Army Special Operations Soldier“, an Army spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.
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He earned a total of five Bronze Stars, including one with the Medal of Valor for gallantry under fire, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Military Commendation Medal for Valor.
He was deployed twice to Afghanistan and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Associated Press reported.
Matthew Livelsperger is pictured. (Fox News)
Political affiliation:
There has been speculation online about his political affiliations, but there are no confirmed reports on how he voted.
Dean, Livelsberger's uncle, told The Independent that he “loved Trump.”
“He loved Trump, and he was always a very patriotic soldier. Patriotic American“That's one of the reasons he was in the Special Forces for so many years,” Dean said.
Investigators use tattoos and photos to identify suspect behind cyber truck explosion at Trump Hotel
family:
It appears that Livelsberger was at one time married to Sarah Livelsperger, who is 38 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. Denver Post He stated that he divorced in 2018 and married again in 2022.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sara Livelsberger for comment.
Sarah's Facebook page has been quiet since 2016, but she refers several times to Livelsberger as her husband.
In Facebook posts from 2016, Sarah said she was a registered Democrat and shared photos insulting President-elect Trump.
Authorities said during a news conference on Wednesday that the Cybertruck was rented in Colorado.
The futuristic Tesla was complete with large fireworks mortars in the back and fuel canisters. She arrived in Las Vegas at about 7:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, and headed back and forth before arriving at the Trump Hotel.
The car remained stationary for 20 seconds before it exploded. The police said.
Authorities are continuing to investigate whether the crash was an act of terrorism, which came just hours after another American veteran killed at least 15 people when he rammed a truck bearing an Islamic State flag on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
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And still the authorities Work to identify motivation.
“It did not escape our notice that it was in front of the Trump building, and that it was a Tesla, but we have no information at this point that tells us conclusively or indicates that it was because of this particular ideology,” Spencer Evans said. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Las Vegas.
Fox News Digital's Greg Weiner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
