MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
This morning, in Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck pulled up to the glass doors of the Trump International Hotel, then began smoking and then exploded. Here is Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill at a press conference earlier today.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
KEVIN MCMAHILL: With an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe.
KELLY: Joe Schoenmann is host of Nevada Public Radio's morning talk show, State of Nevada. He is here to help us make some sense of this. Hey, Joe.
JOE SCHOENMANN, BYLINE: Hi, Mary Louise.
KELLY: Tell me more about what happened.
SCHOENMANN: Well, you know, from the video I was able to view, it looked - it actually looked like something straight out of a movie. The truck we're talking about is a Tesla vehicle that came to market in 2023. It's an all-electric vehicle with a stainless steel exterior, and it's called the Cybertruck. It looks something like a spaceship. In the video, the truck is sitting there, and police said it was only there for about 15 seconds. Then it completely erupts - flames shooting 20 feet or more into the air. Authorities also said fireworks - mortar-like fireworks - were found in the truck, along with gas canisters which were not identified, and it's unclear if the explosion is related to those fireworks.
KELLY: Now, the backdrop, of course, is Tesla, Elon Musk's company, and that this took place, as we said, at the Trump Hotel - and Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump obviously working very closely together of late. Do authorities think there was a connection - that this was an intentional act meant to send some kind of message?
SCHOENMANN: They didn't ignore that question. Sheriff McMahill mentioned, yeah, obviously, they see that - the two things there. But they said they're still investigating, and they're trying to answer that question.
KELLY: OK. And what more do we know about this Cybertruck?
SCHOENMANN: They still have yet to release the name of the person who was driving it - and that is the person who was killed - but they said that would be forthcoming in a future press conference. And they were saying that the truck was rented through a company called Turo, which is - it's a company that facilitates the rental of private vehicles. And it was rented in Colorado, driven to Las Vegas. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has been tweeting on his social media platform, X, that the vehicle was rented. The explosion was not related to the car's battery, knocking down early speculation that the battery could have caused the fire. He says the company is investigating the incident as well, and they're giving authorities information on charging stations where the truck might have stopped.
KELLY: Joe, you just said this Cybertruck was rented through a company called Turo. I have used Turo for myself.
SCHOENMANN: Oh.
KELLY: It worked great. But I will note - 'cause my ears are perking up - that was the same source for the pickup truck that drove to the crowd in New Orleans overnight. Did authorities say anything about that?
SCHOENMANN: They did. A reporter asked that question. Sheriff McMahill said it was a coincidence that they are investigating.
KELLY: Hmm. What's the reaction from people in Las Vegas to this today?
SCHOENMANN: Well, first of all, there was an evacuation from the Trump Hotel. I want to mention that. And some people staying were moved to a different casino a short distance away. But more generally, in Las Vegas, I think for some it brings to mind the mass shooting on the strip, killing 58 people, in 2017. During the pandemic, the city and the county here were some of the hardest-hit regions economically. And now we have this, and who knows if this will impact tourism, which is the economic driver of this state.
KELLY: Joe Schoenmann of member station KNPR in Las Vegas. Thank you, Joe.
SCHOENMANN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.