A Tesla Cybertruck catches fire in front of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas
Las Vegas police said one person died, and seven others were injured when a Tesla Cybertruck caught fire in the valet section of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on Wednesday morning. (Credit: Alcides Antunes)
One person is dead and seven others were injured when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, according to officials.
The Las Vegas Police Department is investigating the explosion, which occurred this morning outside the hotel, located near S. Sammy Davis Jr. Drive and Fashion Drive. Officials are also looking at the incident as potential terrorism.
According to a social media post from the police department, a vehicle fire happened at the entrance to the hotel.
Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief Thomas Touchstone said crews, along with the Las Vegas police and Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, responded to the scene about four minutes after receiving reports of a fire at the hotel.
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1 dead, 7 injured after Tesla Cybertruck catches fire outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas (Getty Images/ Alcides Antunes)
When crews arrived, they quickly began to extinguish the fire when they realized at the same time that there were multiple people with injuries.
Touchstone said seven people suffered minor injuries, two of whom were transported to an area hospital.
He also said one person died inside the Cybertruck, though details about the person were not provided.
The vehicle has been fully extinguished, and according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Chief Kevin McMahill, the scene is safe.
He told reporters police responded to the hotel at 8:40 a.m. after receiving a report of an explosion and fire at the hotel.
McMahill also said the department is aware of the incident that occurred in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, in which a man drove a pickup truck with an ISIS flag on the trailer hitch into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 10 people and injuring dozens more.
The sheriff said with the explosion on the "iconic" Las Vegas Boulevard, the police department is taking all precautions, including searching for secondary devices.
Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI acting special agent in charge, also told reporters one person was deceased, though there are not a lot of answers at this time.
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1 dead, 7 injured after Tesla Cybertruck catches fire outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas (Getty Images/ Alcides Antunes)
In another post on X, President-elect Trump’s son, Eric Trump, posted a statement about the incident.
"Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas," Eric wrote. "The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism."
Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for more information.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to the vehicle fire on X.
"The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now," he wrote. "Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We've never seen anything like this."
Musk later posted additional information about the explosion.
"We have now confirmed 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," Musk wrote.
The truck driven into a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning was also a rented vehicle.
Both trucks, officials say, were rented using the peer-to-peer car rental app, Turo.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Turo for comment on the matter.
Former New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro weighed in on the two incidents.
"I cannot recall two terrorist events occurring on the same day that were not coordinated," he said. "While chances are that these two events are not related, it is something investigators have to consider."
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President Biden has been briefed on the Cybertruck explosion, according to White House officials.
FOX 5 in Las Vegas reported that smoke could be seen coming from the tower in video obtained by the outlet. The station also reported that it obtained video from a view that suggests fireworks may have been inside the vehicle, which was a Tesla Cybertruck.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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