Media: Cybertruck bomber’s suicide in Las Vegas tied to recent breakup with wife

Matthew Livelsberger, the Army soldier who detonated a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, reportedly experienced a breakup with his wife just days before the incident, sources revealed.

Law enforcement officials told the New York Post that Livelsberger’s wife ended their relationship six days prior to his suicide inside the vehicle, Caliber.Az reports referencing foreign media sources.

The 37-year-old left his Colorado Springs home the day after Christmas following an argument about suspected infidelity, sources told The Post.

His wife, with whom he shared a baby daughter, allegedly confronted him about cheating, prompting Livelsberger to leave. He then rented a Cybertruck through the Turo app and drove to Las Vegas, where he parked outside the Trump Hotel on New Year’s Day. Livelsberger detonated explosives stored in the vehicle and subsequently shot himself, Las Vegas police reported.

Initially, investigators considered whether the explosion was politically motivated due to its location and the use of a Tesla vehicle — owned by Elon Musk, a known ally of Donald Trump. FBI officials, including Special Agent Spencer Evans, acknowledged the symbolism of the incident but have since shifted focus to a possible personal motive.

Livelsberger, a decorated member of the Army’s Special Forces and a vocal Trump supporter, may have intentionally chosen the Cybertruck to minimize casualties, sources suggested. Unlike a regular vehicle, the Cybertruck’s reinforced steel design absorbed much of the blast, preventing damage to the hotel’s glass facade and lobby, which could have harmed bystanders.

The explosion still produced large flames, contained by the Cybertruck’s structure, sources said — an observation echoed by Musk himself.

Livelsberger’s military background included deployments to Afghanistan in 2017 and 2018, and he had earned a reputation as a dedicated patriot. His uncle, Dean Livelsberger, an Air Force veteran, described him as a “Rambo-type patriot.”

At the time of the incident, Livelsberger was stationed at Camp Panzer Kaserne near Stuttgart, Germany, serving as a remote and autonomous systems manager for the Army. Having joined the Green Berets in 2006, he had served in the military for nearly two decades, as indicated by his LinkedIn profile.

By Tamilla Hasanova