LAS VEGAS — An Army veteran, well-decorated for his service, tragically took his own life in a Tesla Cybertruck during an explosion outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. According to investigators, he left behind notes indicating that the explosion was intended as a “wake-up call” regarding the various issues plaguing the nation. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, who hailed from Colorado Springs, Colorado, expressed in his writings a deep desire to “cleanse” his mind of the burdens of his past experiences, including the loss of fellow service members and the lives he had taken during his military career.
Livelsberger served in the Army from 2006 and had completed two tours in Afghanistan. In one of the letters found on his cellphone, he stated, “This was not a terrorist attack; it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?” His actions resulted in minor injuries to seven individuals, but they caused little damage to the Trump International Hotel. Authorities confirmed that Livelsberger acted independently.
The letters discovered by authorities touched upon various themes, including political concerns, societal issues, and global matters such as the conflict in Ukraine. He suggested that the United States was “terminally ill and headed toward collapse” in his correspondence. Meanwhile, Tesla engineers collaborated with investigators to access data from the Cybertruck, which included Livelsberger’s travel itinerary that took him from Colorado through New Mexico, Arizona, and finally to Las Vegas. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren noted that a significant volume of data is still under review, encompassing potentially thousands of videos, photos, and documents.
As investigators delved deeper, they pondered whether Livelsberger intended to make a political statement with his choice of vehicle and the setting of the incident, with the hotel being associated with the President-elect. Authorities clarified that he harbored no animosity towards Donald Trump. In one letter, he called for unity around Trump and Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, who has recently found himself close to Trump. Both Trump and Musk were absent from Las Vegas on the day of the explosion; they had been attending a New Year’s Eve gathering at Trump’s estate in South Florida.
Special Agent Spencer Evans of the FBI stated that while the event was notably publicized and sensational, it appeared to be a tragic case of suicide stemming from Livelsberger’s struggles with PTSD and other mental health issues. The cause of death was ruled as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, the circumstances surrounding how Livelsberger shot himself in the Cybertruck while igniting fireworks and flammable materials remain unclear. Among the items recovered at the scene were a firearm located beside him, another gun, fireworks, his passport, military identification, credit cards, an iPhone, and a smartwatch, all of which were legally obtained.
In the time leading up to his death, Livelsberger confided in Alicia Arritt, a former girlfriend and Army nurse, about the immense pain and fatigue he was experiencing, which she connected to traumatic brain injury. They began their relationship in 2018 and during their time together, he shared feelings of suffering from insomnia and constantly reliving traumatic experiences from his deployments.
The Green Berets are a specialized group within the U.S. Army focusing on unconventional warfare tactics. Livelsberger progressed through the ranks and had assignments in multiple countries, including Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo. Recently, he returned home from a mission in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of his death. He was recognized for his service with five Bronze Stars, including one awarded for acts of valor, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
As part of the investigation, authorities searched a townhouse in his Colorado Springs neighborhood, where Livelsberger lived with his wife and infant child. A neighbor recalled recent interactions with him, stating that he seemed like an ordinary person who once asked to borrow a tool.
This incident occurred just hours after a separate event in New Orleans, where an individual drove a truck into a crowd, resulting in numerous casualties. The FBI has indicated that this event is being treated as a terrorist incident.
