Embarrassing ‘mistake’ by Cybertruck bomber that hints at his state of mind hours before Las Vegas blast
Despite a carefully thought-out suicide bombing plan, the Cybertruck bomber’s route from Colorado to Nevada signals an embarrassing mistake.
Law enforcement officials identified Matthew Livelsberger, 37, as the person who rented a Cybertruck, filled it with explosives and detonated it outside Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas on January 1.
Now, a map of the route he took from Denver to Las Vegas revealed that not only was he on the road for four hours, but he also made a stop in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The strangely long and winding journey has led to speculation that he entered the wrong destination into the GPS.
The fastest route from Denver to Las Vegas, Nevada is via I-70 W and I-15 S, which would have taken a total driving time of 11 hours and eight minutes.
Instead, tThe highly decorated Master Sergeant of the Army Special Forces traveled I-25 S to I-40 W, which took 15 hours and 28 minutes.
The map, created by Nevada’s Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, also shows he stopped eight times to charge the Cybertruck.
According to Tesla, Cybertrucks can travel up to 525 kilometers on a single battery charge. But the furthest distance Livelsberger drove between attacks was only 140 miles, less than half the maximum distance.
Authorities have mapped the route that ‘Cybertruck Bomber’ Matthew Livelsberger took from Denver, CO to Las Vegas, NV in the days leading up to his attack on a Trump International Hotel
If Livelsberger had taken the faster route, 1-70 W to 1-15 S, he would have encountered at least 14 Tesla charging stations along the way, indicating that access to charging stations seems unlikely to be Livelsberger’s reason for taking the longer route chosen.
Interestingly enough, 1-25 S is almost directly to Las Vegas, New Mexico, one of the locations where he stopped to attack.
Comparing his chosen route to the more direct route, it appears that Livelsberger mistakenly led himself to the wrong Las Vegas, many on social media have speculated.
“I wonder if he went to Las Vegas, NM then realized he was in the wrong place,” one X user wrote.
“Imagine his embarrassment when he ended up in the wrong Las Vegas first,” wrote another.
To add another strange layer to Livelsberger’s movements, it appears he stopped to recharge more times than necessary during his journey.
The furthest distance it traveled between charges was just 140 miles, less than half the distance a Cybertruck can travel on a single charge.
Law enforcement officials have identified 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger as the person who rented a Cybertruck, filled it with explosives and detonated it outside the Las Vegas hotel on January 1.
Photos from traffic cameras were used to map the Cybertruck’s movements through Las Vegas on January 1
The Cybertruck entered the Trump hotel parking lot for the second time at 8:39 a.m. Within 17 seconds the truck exploded. The driver shot himself moments earlier
On December 28, Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck in Denver, Colorado using the peer-to-peer car rental platform Turo.
On its way southeast, the truck stopped in Monument, Colorado, on December 30, where it was charged.
That same day, Livelsberger legally purchased two semi-automatic handguns, according to Kenny Cooper, assistant special agent in charge of ATF’s field division in San Francisco.
On December 31, the Cybertruck made several charging stops at the following locations: Trinidad, Colorado; Las Vegas, New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Gallup, New Mexico.
The contents of the Tesla Cybertruck after the explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on January 1, 2025
Among the charred items found in the truck were a gun at Livelsberger’s feet, another firearm, several fireworks, a passport, credit cards, an iPhone, a smartwatch and his military ID.
On January 1, the day of the explosion, the truck was loaded in Holbrook, Flagstaff and Kingman, Arizona. That last attack was made at 5:33 a.m., about 100 miles away from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The truck was first spotted around 7:30 a.m. on January 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At 7:34 a.m., the truck was seen turning onto Fashion Show Drive, where the Trump International Hotel is located.
The Cybertruck drove through the hotel’s valet parking lot and spent the next hour (from 7:34 a.m. to 8:35 a.m.) at various locations along Las Vegas Boulevard.
The truck sat in a commercial parking lot near Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road for nearly 45 minutes.
At 8:35 a.m., the Cybertruck drove from Sands Avenue onto Las Vegas Boulevard.
The Cybertruck drove into the Trump hotel’s valet again at 8:39 a.m. Within 17 seconds the truck exploded.
At some point during those 17 seconds, the driver shot himself in the head, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
Photo shows items found in the back of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas
The driver was killed and burned beyond recognition. But Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill. Assistant investigators obtained photos from charging stations that show Livelsberger was the driver
The driver was killed and burned beyond recognition. But McMahill said investigators obtained photos from charging stations that showed Livelsberger “was the individual driving this vehicle” and was alone.
According to the coroner’s report, his cause of death was suicide by gunshot.
The explosion caused injuries to seven people, but virtually no damage to the hotel. Livelsberger was the only fatality.
It’s likely Livelsberger planned a more damaging attack, but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force of the crudely built explosive device, McMahill said.
Upon inspection of the wreckage, authorities found fireworks mortars and camp fuel canisters in the rear of the Cybertruck, indicating this was a planned, deliberate attack.
At this time, authorities are still working to determine Livelsberger’s motive.