Who was Matthew Alan Livelsberger?
Matthew Alan Livelsberger was a 37-year-old U.S. Army Green Beret in the middle of a tragic incident on New Year’s Day 2025, when he drove a rented Tesla Cybertruck that then exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The shocking turn of events that took his life and left seven bystanders seriously injured raised more than a few questions as to his motives and state of mind.
Early life and military career
Livelsberger was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He enlisted in the Army in 2006 and served multiple tours in Afghanistan, in addition to other deployments to Tajikistan and Ukraine. He was decorated numerous times, including the citations for a Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor and arguing his commitment and different acts of bravery shown in situations of combat. At the time of the blast he was on approved leave from his base in Germany, where he worked with drones.
Livelsberger’s family described him as a ‘dedicated soldier who loved his country.’ His father said that in their last conversation on Christmas Day he showed nothing unusual in his mental state and on the contrary, was enthusiastic about his coming work assignments and declared love for his family. Equally shocked were his friends and comrades who couldn’t imagine the Matthew they knew being capable of the action that led to the explosion.
The explosion at Trump’s hotel
On January 1, 2025, Livelsberger rented a Tesla Cybertruck through the car-sharing service Turo in Denver and drove some 1,000 miles to Las Vegas. Arriving at the Trump International Hotel at about 8:40 AM PT, he parked the vehicle in front of the hotel’s entrance as detailed in this article, Why did the Tesla Cybertruck explode in the vicinity of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas? These are the possible causes of the explosion…
The blast was said to have been caused by a mixture of fireworks and gas canisters in the bed of the truck. Preliminary investigations showed that Livelsberger had shot himself in the head before the vehicle blew up, and the authorities therefore ruled his death to be a suicide. A pistol was found beside his body inside the truck, further complicating the picture of what he had done.
Investigative developments
Police officials were quick to seek any links between the Livelsberger’s act and another deadly attack in New Orleans that occurred later the same day. The Army veteran who drove into a crowd killed numerous people. Finding out if the two attacks were linked is of much interest to the police officials.
The FBI raided Livelsberger’s homes in Colorado Springs in the course of the investigation. They were looking for more details regarding his background and motive behind this brutal act of him. Even Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk made a comment over the incident by stating that the explosion was done from outside of a cyber truck.
People’s reaction
The tight-knit Green Beret community was shocked and in disbelief over Livelsberger’s actions. Many of his former colleagues described him as a “stand-up guy,” emphasizing that they could not understand him being involved in such an incident. Now, the military community is wrestling with questions about mental health issues of servicemen and women, more so those who have seen combat.
The tragic death of Matthew Livelsberger calls for much concern in the call for mental health support for both veterans and active-duty military personnel. His record shows he served to excellence, yet leading up to his death, it was clear that there is so much more that needs to be openly discussed within the military communities on resources for mental health. As investigations are conducted, one can surely expect answers shedding light on why this devastating loss had to be the outcome.
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