Several legacy media outlets reported Wednesday that a Tesla truck “caught fire” outside after a Cybertruck exploded outside of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
The Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the entrance of the hotel Wednesday as a result of firework mortars and camp fuel canisters being placed inside the vehicle, leading investigators to believe the incident was a criminal or terrorist act. Footage of the incident, which was shared publicly as early as 12:22 p.m. EST, Wednesday, clearly shows the Tesla Cybertruck instantly exploding and leaving debris all across the scene.
Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened. pic.twitter.com/KaVZXfGLNK
— ayackle (@kaaaassuu) January 1, 2025
WATCH: The moment a Tesla Cybertruck explodes at the entrance to Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/suXCEfs7x9
— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) January 1, 2025
Many of the articles that referred to the incident as a “fire” were released later in the afternoon, hours after footage of the explosion had been made public.
The Associated Press’ (AP) initial headline, posted after 3 p.m. EST, read, “1 person dies when truck catches fire and explodes outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel,” according to an archived version of the article. Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized the outlet for its initial headline, branding the publication “Associated Propaganda.
“AP stands for Associated Propaganda,” Musk wrote on “X.”
AP stands for Associated Propaganda pic.twitter.com/kh8rTuwlPK
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
The AP later revised its headline to read, “Firework mortars, gas canisters stuffed inside Tesla that exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.”
An archived version of NBC News’ initial headline, posted at 2:51 p.m., states that the vehicle “burst into flames” right outside the hotel in its initial headline, before the outlet later updated the piece to clarify that the Cybertruck exploded. The New York Times initially referred to the incident as an “electric vehicle fire” and reported that the Cybertruck became “engulfed in flames” right outside the hotel, while Business Insider originally reported in its article that the Tesla Cybertruck “caught fire” before later updating the piece to clarify that the vehicle had exploded.
The Washington Times, The Washington Post, the New York Post and The Guardian all referred to the incident as a “fire.” Sky News also described the vehicle as having caught fire in its caption about the explosion.
The explosion killed the driver and left seven others injured. Authorities are not disclosing the identity of the driver until they can fully verify the individual, according to CNN, though local reports claim to have identified the driver. Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the Cybertruck’s body construction was significantly reduced in the hotel valet area. The incident was being investigated as a possible terror attack, according to NBC News.
The incident occurred hours after a driver plowed his Ford pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas who had an ISIS flag, weapons and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (IED) in the vehicle.
Both of the vehicles in the two incidents were rented by Turo, a car rental app. A company spokesperson said they are “actively partnering” with law enforcement to obtain more information on the incidents.
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