Soldier Who Blew Up Tesla at Trump Hotel Left Journal, Declared Explosion Should Be 'Wake Up Call' … But Had 'No Animosity Toward President Trump'
Matthew Alan Livelsberger had two journal entries in his phone before the Tesla explosion.
Jan. 4 2025, Published 12:15 p.m. ET
The army veteran who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas left two journal entries in his phone telling "fellow service members, veterans, and all Americans" it's time to "wake up".
Police claimed Matthew Alan Livelsberger appeared to acknowledge he purposely blew up the Cybertruck on New Year's Day, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Matthew Alan Livelsberger blew up a Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
The first letter, directed towards "all Americans", discussed how the country's leadership is "weak" and "only serves to enrich themselves."
His second letter read: "We are the United States of America, the best country... to ever exist, but right now, we are terminally ill and headed towards collapse.
"This was not a terrorist attack. It was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence.
"What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives. ... I need to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost, and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took."
Matthew Alan Livelsberger said: 'It was a wake-up call."
Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Livelsberger expressed other grievances, including thoughts about conflicts elsewhere in the world as well as domestic and societal issues. He also said investigators will continue to go through evidence found on the recovered cellphone.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said investigators have been "unable to access" a second phone found in the Cybertruck.
Matthew Livelsberger reportedly shot himself in the head.
Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Las Vegas division, claimed Livelsberger held no animosity toward President-elect Donald Trump.
The agent, along with a consultation with the Army, determined that Livelsberger likely had post-traumatic stress disorder, and investigators are aware of potential "family issues or personal grievances in his own life that may have been contributing factors."
Police are still investigating Matthew Alan Livelsberger's phone.
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Livelsberger, 37, rented the Cybertruck during approved military leave, driving from Colorado to Las Vegas before parking outside the hotel.
People who had served with him described him as a dedicated soldier with no animosity towards President-elect Trump.
Friends and relatives described him as a patriotic American who supported the GOP leader.
Alicia Arritt, Livelsberger's former girlfriend, told NBC News he was a "proud soldier" who battled chronic pain, which she said he hid from his superiors.
She said he was not overtly political when she knew him and how she had lost touch with him in recent years before suddenly receiving text messages from him in recent days. The messages included that he had rented a Cybertruck, but he did not hint at what he was about to do.
