Police investigating the explosion of the Cybertruck next to a Trump hotel in Nevada revealed that the structure of the vehicle survived damaged by the explosion.
The Las Vegas government released photos showing that the Cybertruck’s angular shape and reinforced design caused the explosion to move “up and away” from the vehicle, rather than away from it.
Newsweek reached out to Tesla for comment via email.
Wednesday morning’s explosion killed one user of the vehicle and injured seven others after sparking a fire at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, and President-elect Donald Trump, owner of the attacked hotel, are close political allies. There is no evidence that the vehicle and location were selected for political reasons. In November 2024, a Cybertruck in Trump’s motorcade while en route to a SpaceX launch in Texas.
Local authorities have yet to determine what caused the incident, although several gas canisters and fireworks supplies were found in the back of the vehicle.
During their investigation, Las Vegas police released video of firefighters responding to the explosion. In the video you can see the structure of the Cybertruck almost completely intact, with the roof and windows missing, indicating, as police said, that the explosion appears to be “moving up and out” of the vehicle rather than expanding outward. outside.
This could have prevented further damage to the hotel’s floor lobby, directly in front of which the truck was parked.
Tesla uses a proprietary stainless metal alloy in the Cybertruck that it claims is more powerful and more resistant to corrosion than classic vehicles with metal or aluminum bodywork.
The vehicle’s angular design, which resembles a futuristic armored vehicle, moved away from classic pickup truck aesthetics and required Tesla to scale up a cutting-edge production process.
Musk has said in the past that the frame panels are strong enough to prevent low-velocity bullets.
Las Vegas police said there is no additional risk to the community, but asked the public to stay away from the domain as the investigation continues.
Tesla CEO and top Trump ally Elon Musk responded to the police video on X, formerly Twitter: “The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upward. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”
Musk’s pro-Trump political action committee, America PAC, also said on social media: “The fact that it was a Cybertruck limited the damage that occurred inside the valet, as most of the explosion was going up, to through the truck and out. The glass doors of the Trump Hotel weren’t even broken.
The investigation into the cause of the explosion remains ongoing, and police are also yet to determine a motive for the explosion. Trump has not yet commented on one of his hotels being the scene of the explosion.
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Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is on U.S. politics and international news, as well as the impact of digital culture on elections. He has covered electoral and cultural issues extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., along with high-profile legal cases such as the trials of Andrew Tate and Donald Trump. Theo joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously written for Dexerto, PinkNews, and News UK. He is a graduate of Durham University and News Associates.You can get in touch with Theo by emailing [email protected]. Languages: English.