LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — New details on the suspect involved in the fatal Cybertruck explosion at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas are emerging based on evidence gathered at the scene, federal sources and ongoing search operations in Colorado Springs.
Investigators identified the suspect as 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger, who had multiple addresses associated with him in Colorado Springs.
On New Year's Day, it was revealed the now-deceased suspect had rented the Tesla Cybertruck in Colorado via the Turo app on Dec. 28. Investigators said they were able to track the truck's movements from Colorado to Las Vegas via various charging stations.
Las Vegas police have since revealed that Livelsberger shot himself in the head before his rented truck exploded, injuring seven other people in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel.
The Clark County coroner determined Livelsberger died from an intraoral gunshot wound, and his manner of death was ruled a suicide.
At a press conference Thursday morning, LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Livelsberger was first spotted driving the truck into Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. on New Year's Day.
Evidence found inside the Cybertruck shows that Livelsberger was in the military. Department of Defense officials confirmed he served in the Army Special Forces as a Green Beret Operations Sergeant. Authorities said Livelsberger spent most of his time at Fort Carson, Colo. and with the 10th Special Forces Group in Germany — where he was on approved leave. He also previously served in the National Guard and the Army Reserve.
According to Livelsberger's LinkedIn account, he was most recently employed by the Army as a Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager. His 20-year career span in the Army was served in various capacities, including communications, intelligence and operations. He also worked as a contractor for 11 months in 2011-2012 at an image analysis tech company in Charlotte, NC.
Livelsberger listed himself as a summa cum laude graduate of Norwich University in 2019. A university spokesperson told ABC News:
Above all, our hearts go out to those impacted. We do not have additional details about the incident at this time, and we have not been contacted by law enforcement. We can confirm that the person identified in media reports completed an online degree in 2019 in strategic studies and defense analysis.
Livelsberger's account also has him listed as a 2016 recipient of the Department of State Meritorious Award for "interagency contributions that resulted in increased interoperability and efficiency" as an operations sergeant for the US embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
ABC News said they have reached out to the State Department for comment but have not received a response.
Human rights, veteran support and animal welfare are also listed as causes and interests on his LinkedIn account — including French as another spoken language.
A U.S. Army spokesperson said Livelsberger was a decorated serviceman with an extensive list of awards.
Click here for a full list of Livelsberger's known military awards
- Bronze Star Medal with Valor
- Bronze Star Medal (4x)
- Meritorious Service Medal
- Army Commendation Medal with Valor
- Army Commendation Medal (3x)
- Army Achievement Medal (2x)
- Army Good Conduct Medal (5x)
- National Defense Service Medal
- Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Three Stars
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3x)
- Army Service Ribbon
- Overseas Service Ribbon
- NATO Medal (2x)
- Special Forces Tab
- Combat Infantryman Badge
- Parachutist Badge
- Freefall Badge
According to the U.S. Army spokesperson, each star received on the Afghanistan Campaign Medal represents a separate overseas campaign — indicating that Livelsberger had multiple deployments to the country over a significant span of time.
 Mansfield News Journal |  LinkedIn |
ABC News reports a family member close to Livelsberger — who did not wish to be identified — described him as a "patriot" who loved to serve. The relative said Livelsberger was an avid supporter of President-elect Donald Trump and would say that "Trump was a soldier's best friend."
The relative further states that they believe the Cybertruck explosion was possibly an accident because Livelsberger was the "last person in the world to do anything like this and the last person in the world to take his own life and to hurt anyone."
"He could have vaporized the hotel," the relative told ABC News in reference to Livelsberger's training as a skilled soldier.
The relative, along with Ohio and Colorado court records, say that Livelsberger recently remarried in 2022, and he just had a baby, ABC News reports. His first marriage from December 2012 was shown in more court filings obtained by ABC from Franklin County, Ohio — but divorce documents were not yet located.
We know that investigators have spoken to Livelsberger's wife who said he would never hurt anyone. She also told investigators that he had been gone from their home since around Christmas over a dispute on infidelity allegations.
Ohio and Colorado are the only states with property records associated with Livelsberger, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. The only criminal history that court records show of Livelsberger is a 2011 speeding charge in Franklin County by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He pleaded guilty.
Ohio newspaper archives from the Mansfield News Journal report that in 2009 Livelsberger and his mother were highlighted for humanitarian efforts to support children in Afghanistan by giving them clothes and gifts.
"Soldiers like myself want to do everything we can to affect our sphere of influence," he told the News Journal.
A January 2010 report from the Bucyrus Telegraph Forum — another local Ohio newspaper — covered the same efforts, with Livelsberger stating that "handing out humanitarian assistance continues to be one of the few approaches of gaining the credibility and loyalty of the people of Afghanistan…"
Along with his military ID, investigators have recovered several other pieces of charred evidence inside the truck, such as a passport, credit cards in his name, fireworks, an iPhone, a smartwatch, a Desert Eagle .50 pistol and a rifle that authorities said were purchased legally.
Investigators said nothing used in the explosion was commerical grade.
Overnight on Thursday, federal investigators served a search warrant at an address associated with Livelsberger in Colorado Springs.
Authorities were also probing potential connections between Livelsberger and the suspect behind an attack in New Orleans in which 14 people were killed and dozens more injured on New Year's Day.
No connection between the two acts has been confirmed. Investigators did note similarities between the two suspects — both of whom previously served at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
McMahill stressed that Fort Bragg is a large base and there is no record the two soldiers served in the same unit or at the same time.
Similarly, investigators said both suspects also served in Afghanistan in 2009, but there is no evidence of them serving in the same province, location or unit.
At a separate press conference Thursday, officials with the FBI's counterterrorism division seemed to discount a connection between Livelsberger and Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in the New Orleans attack. They said Jabbar acted alone and was "100% inspired" by the Islamic State. Authorities investigating the Las Vegas attack have given no indication of a connection between Livelsberger and any known terror organizations.
A motive has not been determined.
Las Vegas Metro police are asking the community to please report any suspicious activity immediately. You can do so online at snctc.org. If you are in or see an emergency, call 911.
The FBI is also accepting tips by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at Tips.FBI.gov.
Tesla Motors also has investigators assisting law enforcement by looking into the camera systems on the Cybertruck to see what can be recovered.
