On January 1, 2025, Army Green Beret officer Matthew Alan Livelsberger exploded a Tesla Cybertruck on New Year’s Day in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, ending his own life. Livelsberger, on leave from Germany, rented the Cybertruck from Colorado and drove to Las Vegas, arriving at 7:30 a.m. Police found a variety of firearms, fireworks, and gas tanks in the trunk of the Cybertruck. The detonation injured seven people, but did not damage the property.
Authorities linked Livelsberger’s motivation as a rebellion against Trump’s upcoming inauguration, however; his social media pages say otherwise. A relative explained the veteran’s love and respect for Trump, disputing the allegations. Authorities also theorized the attack corresponded with a similar situation in New Orleans. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army veteran, rammed a truck on New Years’ Day, killing 14 people. Jabbar rented a pickup truck from Turo, the same platform Livselberger rented the Cybertruck from. Despite the coincidences, authorities failed to reach a definitive conclusion.
The military officer wrote two letters before his death, demanding to remove Democrats from political decisions and describing his purpose, a “wake-up call” for Americans across the nation. Livelsberger believed his “terminally ill” country “headed towards collapse” feeling the need to “cleanse”, to recover from the “brothers I’ve lost”, and remove “the burden of the lives I took.” The driver struggled with PTSD and other mental issues, influencing his suicide.
The veteran used generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, to plan his explosion. “This is the first incident that I’m aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device,” Kevin McManhill, sheriff of the Metropolitan Police Department, explained. Investigating his devices revealed searches for information about bullet rounds and the legality of fireworks in Arizona.
