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Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion investigators piece together suspect’s final hours

January 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LAS VEGAS) — Matthew Livelsberger — the suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year’s Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel — died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, officials said at a Thursday press briefing.

Investigators had already collected significant evidence that Livelsberger was behind the wheel of the vehicle before publicly confirming their suspicions.

Officials found credit and identification cards in his name, purchase records identifying him as the owner of weapons found in the destroyed vehicle and identified tattoos similar to Livelsberger’s on the driver’s body, physical injuries to which slowed the identification process.

The Clark County Coroner ultimately identified Livelsberger — of Colorado Springs, Colorado — as the driver on Thursday. His cause of death was a self-inflicted intraoral gunshot wound.

No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said.

An active-duty Army soldier, Livelsberger was found with a gun at his feet. Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found in the vehicle “burnt beyond recognition,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.

Both weapons were purchased legally on Monday, he added.

Livelsberger rented the Tesla vehicle on Saturday in Denver via the Turo app, before driving to Las Vegas through cities in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. His progress was tracked through Tesla charging stations, officials said.

The vehicle first pulled into the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel valet area just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. It then left the area, driving along Las Vegas Boulevard, before returning to the valet area at about 8:39 a.m., exploding 17 seconds after its arrival.

Livelsberger served as a Green Beret in the Army and was on approved leave from serving in Germany at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.

He received extensive decorations in combat, including the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, indicating heroism under fire. Livelsberger received four more standard Bronze Star medals, according to Army records. He also earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three stars. Each star represents service in a separate campaign in Afghanistan.

The Las Vegas incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people — as well as the suspect — and injured 35 others, according to the FBI. The truck used in the New Orleans attack was also rented using the Turo app, officials said.

“At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” the FBI’s Christopher Raia said Thursday morning at a press conference on the New Orleans attack.

The two drivers may have overlapped at Fort Liberty or in Afghanistan, though no evidence suggests the two ever were assigned together or knew each other, McMahill said.

President Joe Biden, in remarks Thursday, said federal investigators have not any evidence of a connection between the attacks but said he had directed them to keep looking.

Livelsberger was a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, an official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.

His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.

Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.

Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck were detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.

The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and by giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.

McMahill said police believe the explosion was an “isolated incident” and that “there is no further threat to the community.” He also said police do not believe anyone was helping the Las Vegas suspect.

“We believe everything is safe now,” McMahill said.

Video played at the Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.

The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to Trump.

Quadrantids, 1st meteor shower of 2025, expected to peak tonight: How to watch

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Stargazers can ring in the beginning of 2025 by witnessing the first meteor shower of the year.

The Quadrantids, one of the “strongest” displays of the year, are expected to peak Thursday night through early Friday morning, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).

Peak activity is predicted to occur from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. EST, during which the Quadrantids can produce about 120 meteors per hour, according to the AMS.

However, the peak is typically a much shorter timeframe than other meteor showers, according to NASA. Most meteor showers have a two-day peak, but the Quadrantids only peak for a few hours due to the shower’s thin stream of particles — and because Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle.

Therefore, Earth passes through the densest portion of the stream quickly, according to the AMS.

Where do the Quadrantids come from?

The Quadrantids originate from asteroid 2003 EH1, unlike most meteor showers, which originate from comets, according to NASA. Asteroid 2003 EH1 takes about 5.52 years to orbit the Sun and could be a “dead comet” or “rock comet,” a rare celestial body that exhibits characteristics of both an asteroid and a comet.

The “small” asteroid, with a diameter measuring only about two miles, was discovered in March 2003. Quadrantid meteors were first seen in 1825, according to NASA.

The Quadrantids are considered among astronomers as one of the “best” annual meteor showers, according to NASA. They peak every year in early January and can produce 60 to as many as 200 meteors per hour under perfect conditions.

They are also known for their bright fireballs, according to NASA. The Quadrantids originate from larger particles of material, which result in larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.

How to view the Quadrantids

The radiant for Quadrantids — the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate — is an obsolete constellation called “Quadrans Muralis,” located between the constellations of Bootes and Draco.

The best way to view the Quadrantids is from the Northern Hemisphere during the predawn hours, as this area of the sky lies very low in the northwest in the evening. But as night progresses, the sky swings 40 degrees beneath the northern celestial pole before beginning a slow rise into the northeastern sky, according to the AMS.

“It is between this time and dawn that you will have your best chance to view these meteors,” according to the AMS.

A waning crescent moon will allow skies to remain dark for good viewing conditions as long as clouds do not hamper visibility.

Viewers can lie flat on their back with feet facing northeast to take in as much of the night sky as possible, NASA said.

“By facing this direction you be able to see meteors shoot out of the radiant in all directions,” the AMS said.

With peak activity expected between 15:00 and 18:00 Universal Time, viewers in the Pacific area, including the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska, are favored to have the best viewing conditions, according to the AMS.

It is important to allow eyes to adjust to the dark for at least 30 minutes to allow for be viewing conditions, according to NASA. “Serious observers” should watch for at least an hour, as numerous peaks and valleys will occur, according to the AMS.

New Orleans attack latest: Police don’t believe any other suspects involved, FBI says

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW ORLEANS) — Authorities no longer believe there are any other suspects involved in the New Year’s truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans that killed 14 people and injured 35 others, the FBI said Thursday.

After investigators reviewed all of the surveillance videos more closely, it appears that the suspect — 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who also died in the attack — placed explosive devices in the area himself and then changed clothes, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The FBI is still investigating whether there were individuals Jabbar spoke to or messaged with prior to the early Wednesday attack, but no one was in the vicinity to help him do anything, the sources said.

“Federal law enforcement and the intelligence community are actively investigating any foreign or domestic contacts in connection that could possibly be relevant to the attack,” President Joe Biden said Thursday.

There is no additional threat to the public, Christopher Raia of the FBI said.

Raia called the attack a premeditated “act of terrorism.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday compared the investigation to a jigsaw puzzle.

Over 400 tips have been submitted and investigators are combing through Jabbar’s laptops and phones, Raia said. More than 1,000 law enforcement officers have been “pouring over countless amounts of data, of videos, of surveillances, interviews, tracking down every possible lead,” Landry said.

Jabbar drove from Houston to New Orleans on Tuesday evening and posted several videos online “proclaiming his support for ISIS,” and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, Raia said.

“There were five videos posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account, which are time stamped beginning at 1:29 a.m. and the last at 3:02 a.m.,” Raia said. “In the first video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers.'”

An ISIS flag was recovered from the back of the truck, Raia said.

The death toll is not expected to rise beyond 14 people, Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the University Medical Center New Orleans told ABC News Live on Thursday. Sixteen people remain hospitalized at University Medical Center New Orleans, including eight in intensive care.

Jabbar was “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible, driving a pickup truck onto the sidewalk around a parked police car serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians, officials said.

The suspect mowed down dozens of people over a three-block stretch on the world-famous thoroughfare while firing into the crowd, police said.

Jabbar then exited the damaged vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement said. He was also armed with a handgun, sources told ABC News.

Officers returned fire, killing Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Texas, sources said. At least two officers were injured, one by gunfire and the other when the officer was pinned by the truck, authorities said.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said security bollards were not working at the time because they were in the process of being replaced for next month’s Super Bowl.

Surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices in coolers in the Bourbon Street area, Raia said.

“Those are the only two devices that we’ve been able to recover that were functional — both devices were rendered safe on scene,” he said.

Authorities have conducted search warrants in New Orleans and outside of Louisiana, the FBI’s New Orleans field office said.

A home in Houston was among those searched. The FBI in Houston said “there is no threat to residents in that area.”

Raia urged anyone who knew Jabbar to come forward.

“While we have interviewed many people who know Jabbar, we still need to talk to others,” he said. “Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you.”

He said police also want to speak with witnesses who were in the French Quarter on New Year’s Eve or early on New Year’s Day.

The FBI has cleared Bourbon Street and authorities have the “confidence” to reopen it to the public ahead of the Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Thursday.

The game was initially set for Wednesday and was postponed in the wake of the attack.

“I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today, but we’re ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city,” she said.

“Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to the victims’ families,” she added.

There’s no apparent direct connection between the New Orleans attack and Wednesday’s Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which is being investigated as a possible act of terror, Raia from the FBI said Thursday.

“They have not found any evidence of such a connection thus far — I’ve directed them to keep looking,” Biden said Thursday.

The Las Vegas driver was killed and seven bystanders suffered minor injuries, authorities said. The motive behind the incident remains under investigation, but investigators told ABC News they believe it was “intentional.”

The Cybertruck was rented via the Turo app, as was the truck used in the New Orleans attack, sources told ABC News.

The Cybertruck driver had an Army special operations background but there’s no evidence suggesting he and the New Orleans suspect knew each other, according to officials.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

What we know about Cybertruck explosion person of interest Matthew Livelsberger

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LAS VEGAS) — The man who rented the Cybertruck that exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day has been identified as U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a Special Operations soldier who was on leave from his base in Germany, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Although investigators are still examining DNA evidence of the person found in the truck, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Sherriff Kevin McMahill told reporters at a news conference that Livelsberger’s identification and credit cards were found at the scene. The coroner’s office said the person in the truck sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a handgun was found at his feet.

Seven people suffered minor injuries when the truck, which was filled with fireworks-style mortars and gas canisters, exploded around 8:40 a.m. PT. Investigators believe the explosion was intentional, but hadn’t determined a motive, authorities said in the news conference.

As they continue their investigation into the blast, a profile of Livelsberger is emerging from the Army and people who knew him.

Livelsberger’s wife told investigators her husband had been out of their Colorado Springs, Colorado, residence since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity and said he would not hurt anyone, an official who had been briefed on the investigation told ABC News.

Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas Division, told reporters it was too early to speculate about any politicial connections behind the attack. Livelsberger allegedly supported President-elect Donald Trump, the official who had been briefed on the investigation said.

“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggest it was because of this particular ideology or any of the reasoning behind it,” Evans said.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a major Trump donor who has been advising the president-elect, has been assisting in the investigation, authorities said, including providing police with video of Livelsberger at Tesla charging stations along his route from Colorado to Las Vegas.

Livelsberger enlisted in the Army as a Special Forces candidate and served on active duty from January 2006 to March 2011, then joined the National Guard that month and served until July 2012, followed by a stint in the Army Reserve from July to December 2012, according to the spokesperson. He went back on active duty in December 2012 as a Special Operations soldier, the spokesperson said.

He spent time at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and was deployed to Afghanistan three times, according to the spokesperson.

Livelsberger was a Green Beret operations sergeant who was stationed mostly at Fort Carson, Colorado, near Colorado Springs, and in Germany, according to McMahill.

He was on approved leave from the Army at the time of his death, according to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Livelsberger received numerous accomodations throughout his military carer including a Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, and four additional Bronze Stars, according to the Army spokesperson.

“USASOC is in full cooperation with federal and state law enforcement agencies, but as a matter of policy, will not comment on ongoing investigations,” the spokesperson said.

Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck in Denver on Dec. 28 using the car-sharing app Turo, the same app used to rent a truck by the suspect in the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day, though investigators said they have not established any links between the two attacks.

Livelsberger told the truck’s owner that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official said.

The subject purchased two semiautomatic firearms legally on Monday, Kenny Cooper, the assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, San Francisco Field Division, told reporters.

ABC News’ Alex Stone contributed to this report.

What we know about Cybertruck explosion suspect Matthew Livelsberger

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LAS VEGAS) — The suspect who drove the rented Cybertruck that exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day has been identified as Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, a U.S. Army Special Operations soldier on leave, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Livelsberger was killed when the truck, which was filled with fireworks-style mortars and gas canisters, exploded around 8:40 a.m. PT. Seven people suffered minor injuries, officials said.

Investigators believe the explosion was intentional, but hadn’t determined a motive or how it was detonated as of Thursday afternoon, according to sources.

As they continue their investigation into the blast, a profile of Livelsberger is emerging from the Army and people who knew him.

Livelsberger enlisted in the Army as a Special Forces candidate and served on active duty from January 2006 to March 2011 then joined the National Guard that month and served until July 2012, followed by a stint in the Army Reserve from July to December 2012, according to the spokesperson. He went back on active duty in December 2012 as a Special Operations soldier, the spokesperson said.

He was on approved leave from the Army at the time of his death, according to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

“USASOC is in full cooperation with federal and state law enforcement agencies, but as a matter of policy, will not comment on ongoing investigations,” the spokesperson said.

Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck using the car-sharing app Turo, the same app used to rent a truck by the suspect in the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day, though investigators said they have not established any links between the two attacks.

Livelsberger told the truck’s owner that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official said.

Tesla has been cooperating with the probe and provided investigators with data and other information, the company’s owner Elon Musk said.

ABC News’ Alex Stone contributed to this report.

New Orleans truck attack suspect: What we know about Shamsud-Din Jabbar

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW ORLEANS) — The man suspected of plowing a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s, killing 14 people and injuring 35 others, pledged his support to ISIS, the FBI said Thursday.

The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army veteran and U.S.-born citizen who lived in Houston, also died in the early Wednesday attack.

After barreling through the crowd over a three-block stretch, the 42-year-old Jabbar allegedly got out of the truck wielding an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, officials said. Officers returned fire, killing him, police said. Two police officers were injured, authorities said.

Jabbar is believed to have acted alone, authorities said Thursday, calling the attack a premeditated “act of terrorism.”

Jabbar drove from Houston to New Orleans on New Year’s Eve and posted several videos online “proclaiming his support for ISIS,” and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, Christopher Raia of the FBI said Thursday.

An ISIS flag was recovered from the back of the truck, Raia said.

Surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices in coolers in the Bourbon Street area, Raia said. Those were the only devices recovered and both were rendered safe, he said.

Raia urged anyone who knew Jabbar to come forward.

Jabbar had a checkered marital history punctuated by multiple divorces and financial difficulty, according to court records reviewed by ABC News.

In a YouTube video posted in 2020, Jabbar says he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and spent a decade working in the U.S. military before becoming a realtor in the Houston area. His years in the military were spent working as a human resources and IT specialist, Jabbar said in the video, which has since been removed from YouTube.

Jabbar worked for Deloitte, serving in a staff-level role since 2021, a spokesperson for the firm confirmed to ABC News.

“Like everyone, we are outraged by this shameful and senseless act of violence and are doing all we can to assist authorities in their investigation,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Jabbar served in human resources and information technology roles in the Army from 2007 to 2015, during which he deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010, an Army spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. He continued as an IT specialist in the Army Reserve from 2015 to 2020, the spokesperson said. His listed jobs were not direct combat roles.

Jabbar is believed to have been discharged honorably from the Army, though investigators are still looking into his military record, the FBI said.

The truck used in the attack, a Ford F-150 Lightning, was rented through the Turo app — a car-sharing company, according to Rodrigo Diaz, the owner of the truck.

Diaz told ABC News he rented the truck to an individual through the app and is currently talking to the FBI.

Diaz’s wife, Dora Diaz, told ABC News that she and her husband are devastated by the incident.

“We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals,” a Turo spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Jared Kofsky contributed to this report.

Suspect in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion was Army member on leave: Official

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LAS VEGAS) — The suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded Wednesday outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel has been identified as active duty Army soldier Matthew Livelsberger, according to an official briefed on the probe.

The FBI, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are searching his Colorado Springs home on Thursday morning, officials said.

Livelsberger had already been identified as the person who rented the vehicle via the Turo app, though officials previously said they had still been working through forensics to determine the identity of the person behind the wheel at the time of the incident. The fire and explosion made the identification process difficult because of the physical injuries sustained by the driver, the official said.

Livelsberger served in the Army and was on approved leave at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.

The incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people and injured dozens more, according to the official briefed on the probe. The military is looking into whether the two drivers may have overlapped at Fort Liberty or in Afghanistan, though no evidence suggests the two ever were assigned together or knew each other, according to the official.

Livelsberger was a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, the official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.

His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.

Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found badly burned inside the vehicle. Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.

Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck was detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.

The vehicle was picked up by license plate readers traveling from Colorado to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.

The investigation into the incident spans at least four states, and law enforcement officials are probing it as a possible act of terror.

The motive behind the incident remains under investigation, even as investigators tell ABC News that they believe it was “intentional.”

The driver of the Cybertruck pulled into the valet area of the hotel and the vehicle exploded, according to an official. The driver was the only fatality from the incident. Seven bystanders had minor injuries, authorities said.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters the truck was in front of the hotel for 15 to 20 seconds before it exploded.

McMahill said investigators were looking into any possible connections to the deadly attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday but had not yet discovered any. The truck used in the New Orleans attack was also rented via the Turo app, sources said.

Video played at the Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.

“We believe everything is safe now,” McMahill said.

The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to Trump.

Musk, a close ally of Trump, said on Wednesday afternoon that the “whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.”

“Will post more information as soon as we learn anything,” Musk wrote on X, which he also owns. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”

Musk later posted on X: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.” It’s not known if Musk’s claim has been independently verified.

An official briefed on the investigation told ABC News “this was not a lithium battery” blast, as some have speculated online. There have been instances in the past of battery compartments in Tesla vehicles spontaneously catching fire.

Trump’s son Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted on social media about the incident.

“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” he wrote. “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.”

The hotel also issued a statement on X suggesting the car involved was electric.

“Earlier today a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” the hotel wrote. “The safety & well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response.”

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and explosion near the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas and has directed his team to offer any federal assistance needed, the White House said.

New Orleans attack latest: Police don’t believe any other suspects involved, sources say

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW ORLEANS) — The FBI and New Orleans police no longer believe there are any other suspects involved in the New Year’s truck attack on Bourbon Street that killed 15 people and injured dozens more, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.

After investigators reviewed all of the surveillance videos more closely, it appears that the suspect, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, placed explosive devices in the area himself and then changed clothes. Those clothes were found in the vehicle, the sources said.

The death toll is not expected to rise beyond 15 people, Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the University Medical Center New Orleans told ABC News Live on Thursday. Sixteen people remain hospitalized at University Medical Center New Orleans, including eight in intensive care.

Jabbar was “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible, driving a pickup truck onto the sidewalk around a parked police car serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians, officials said.

The suspect mowed down dozens of people over a three-block stretch on the world-famous thoroughfare while firing into the crowd, police said.

Jabar then exited the damaged vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement said. He was also armed with a handgun, sources told ABC News.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said security bollards were not working at the time because they were in the process of being replaced for next month’s Super Bowl.

Althea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in New Orleans, said improvised explosives devices and other weapons were found inside the pickup truck, and two additional IEDs were recovered in the French Quarter and rendered safe.

The IEDs found in and around the scene on Bourbon Street were apparently determined to be viable, and investigators were looking for more in the city’s French Quarter, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Authorities have conducted “a number of court authorized search warrants in New Orleans and other states,” the FBI’s New Orleans field office said.

A home in Houston was among those searched. The FBI in Houston said “there is no threat to residents in that area.”

President Joe Biden said that the FBI told him that “mere hours before the attack, [Jabbar] posted videos on social media indicating that he’s inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill.”

Biden said that the suspect served in the Army on active duty for “many years,” and served in the Army Reserve “until a few years ago.”

The FBI is studying the videos Biden referenced in his remarks, which the suspect appears to have recorded while driving from Texas to Louisiana, law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News.

The videos are dark so the suspect isn’t seen but he can be heard talking about his divorce and a desire to kill members of his family before ultimately deciding to carry out the attack on Bourbon Street, according to the law enforcement sources.

The suspect is also heard talking about ISIS, the sources said.

The driver was killed and seven bystanders suffered minor injuries, authorities said. The motive behind the incident remains under investigation, but investigators told ABC News they believe it was “intentional.”

The Cybertruck was rented via the Turo app, as was the truck used in the New Orleans attack, sources told ABC News.

The Cybertruck driver had an Army special forces background but there’s no evidence suggesting he and the New Orleans suspect knew each other, according to an official briefed on the probe.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

How to lower your carbon footprint after the holidays

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Christmas season is one of the most carbon-intensive holidays of the year, experts say.

The carbon footprint of the holiday season — from eating and drinking to giving and receiving — can weigh heavily on the environment. Household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, from 4 million to 5 million tons, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Those who celebrate can significantly lower their individual carbon footprints with these tips:

Dispose of organic decorations properly

After the holiday, it’s important to think about the best way to dispose of organic decorations, including everything from Christmas trees to wreaths and poinsettias, according to Keep America Beautiful, a community improvement nonprofit.

An estimated 25 million to 30 million live Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. every year, according to the Sierra Club.

After the holidays, trees and other plant decorations are often sent to the nearest landfill every year, adding to the millions of tons of organic materials that will release methane while decomposing. Just like carbon dioxide, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Experts say there are several easy alternatives to throwing out your organic holiday decorations.

However, before you get started, you need to make sure that your tree and any other holiday decorations are free of any non-organic materials. These should be discarded in the trash.

One popular alternative is composting. This can be done in your backyard or at a local community-based composting program. Real Christmas trees, wreaths and poinsettias are all biodegradable.

Tree recycling and mulching programs are a fast-growing trend in communities across the country, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. They chip and shred the trees, making mulch that can be used for landscaping.

If you have a garden or other outdoor area, you could also place your Christmas tree outside and use it as a bird feeder or sanctuary. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, fresh orange slices or strung popcorn will attract birds to the tree and they can use the branches for shelter.

Recycled Christmas trees can even be used to combat coastal erosion. For over 25 years, New Orleans has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Army National Guard in an annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program.

The recycled trees are placed in the wetlands at Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge to help protect the natural marsh and shoreline by reducing wave action and slowing erosion, according to officials.

Reuse as much as possible

One of the easiest ways to keep the holidays sustainable is to reuse the things that help to create joy and magic, according to experts.

Things like ornaments, gift bags and other holiday decor can be stored for years to come and can even eventually become family heirlooms passed down through generations, according to Keep America Beautiful.

Even leftover food can be repurposed into new dishes, said Lauren Gropper, co-founder and CEO of Repurpose, a brand of compostable household goods, adding that discarded food is one of the biggest sources of methane in the world.

Organic materials, including food waste, are responsible for 58% of fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Gift wrapping is a huge source of waste. The production of 1 pound of wrapping paper generates 3.5 pounds of carbon emissions and uses up 1.3 pounds of fossil fuel, according to the Ecology Center, an environmental nonprofit.

Getting creative with gift wrapping can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of gift-giving.

Gropper once worked in the construction and architecture industry, and old plans were often repurposed into gift wrapping, she said.

“It looks so cool,” she said. “I think small swaps make a huge difference.”

The same can be done with newspaper and the back of paper grocery bags — just top it off with a ribbon or bow repurposed from the year before, she said.

Federal prosecutors investigating former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey

January 2, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors are investigating former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, who has been suspended following sexual misconduct allegations.

Investigators showed up with search warrants at several locations linked to Maddrey, including his home.

Maddrey had submitted his resignation effective later this month, but is now suspended pending an investigation by the NYPD internal affairs investigation.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the New York City Department of Investigation are investigating allegations that Maddrey demanded sexual favors from a subordinate at police headquarters in exchange for overtime approval.

Maddrey has denied the allegations against him, with his lawyer telling WABC that Maddrey did not have authority to approve, assign or give overtime.

“At my direction, the Internal Affairs Bureau of the New York City Police Department is working with law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations against former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey,” a statement from New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Thursday. “Maddrey was suspended from the Department this morning, as law enforcement agents executed search warrants at several locations, including his residence.”

Tisch directed further inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not offer comment Thursday.

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