(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.
“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.
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.
“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.”
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.
(WASHINGTON) — The Commerce Department on Thursday announced its intent to explore proposing a rule to secure the technology and supply chain of drones from foreign adversaries, including the potential ability of China and Russia to remotely access and manipulate the devices.
The department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), seeks to implement a rule that would explain how foreign adversary involvement in “supply chains, including acute threats from China and Russia — may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data,” according to a department news release.
If implemented, the rule would restrict or even ban drones from China — the source of most of the commercial drones sold in the U.S.
BIS is hoping to get feedback on how information from drones is used and how it could pose a national security risk from adversaries, according to the Commerce Department.
“Securing the unmanned aircraft systems technology supply chain is critical to safeguarding our national security. This [rule making notice] is an essential step in protecting the United States from vulnerabilities posed by foreign entities,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The deadline for public comments on this rule is March 4, 2025.
It is the latest step in rulemaking from the Commerce Department.
Last year, BIS proposed a rule to ban Chinese software in cars from entering into the United States due to national security risks.
Authorities are investigating a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel in Nevada, Jan. 1, 2025. Obtained by ABC News.
(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.
“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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 YORK) — The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now and affecting what matters most to us. Hurricanes intensified by a warming planet and drought-fueled wildfires are destroying our communities. Rising seas and flooding are swallowing our homes. And record-breaking heat waves are reshaping our way of life.
The good news is we know how to turn the tide and avoid the worst possible outcomes. However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings, and critical decisions that are shaping our future.
That’s why the ABC News Climate and Weather Unit is cutting through the noise by curating what you need to know to keep the people and places you care about safe. We are dedicated to providing clarity amid the chaos, giving you the facts and insights necessary to navigate the climate realities of today — and tomorrow.
Could the UK be a model for clean electricity production?
When it comes to curbing climate change, scientists have been clear. The world needs to stop burning fossil fuels. However, much of the world still depends on significant amounts of oil, gas and coal for its energy needs.
England kicked off the coal power revolution in 1882 and, for the next 142 years, burned the greenhouse gas-emitting energy source. But last year, the U.K. became the first G7 country to phase out coal power plants. When the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire closed in September, it marked the end of an era for the most-polluting fossil fuel in that region.
A new analysis by Carbon Brief, a U.K.-based climate publication, found that by eliminating coal and adopting more clean energy sources, the U.K. has significantly cleaned up its electricity generation, meaning it’s generating the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions in its history.
According to the analysis, in 2024, renewable energy sources reached a record-high 45% in the country, while fossil fuels made up 29%. Nuclear energy accounted for another 13%. Over the last decade, renewable energy sources have more than doubled. As a result, carbon emissions have plunged by two-thirds over that time.
While gas-fired power plants are still the U.K.’s single-largest source of electricity, wind power has almost caught up. However, the analysis found that when new wind projects come online in the coming months, the U.K. will likely generate more power from wind than gas in 2025.
While the incoming Trump administration calls for more drilling and fossil fuel use, including coal, in the United States, the U.K. just had its cleanest year ever for electricity generation. The combination of sunsetting coal power plants and increasing the amount of renewable energy is moving the country in the direction scientists say is crucial for stopping the worst impacts of human-amplified climate change.
-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
New York will make polluters pay for climate change damage
New York State is establishing a “Climate Superfund” that will make companies that release large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions financially responsible for some of the damage that climate change caused to the state’s infrastructure, communities and ecosystems.
On Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul, signed a bill into law requiring large fossil fuel companies to “pay for critical projects that protect New Yorkers.” Citing the hundreds of billions of dollars the state will have to spend on climate adaptation through 2050, the law requires that the companies responsible for most carbon emissions, more than a billion metric tons, between 2000-2018 pay nearly $3 billion annually for the next 25 years.
“With nearly every record rainfall, heatwave, and coastal storm, New Yorkers are increasingly burdened with billions of dollars in health, safety, and environmental consequences due to polluters that have historically harmed our environment,” Hochul said in a press statement.
The new law calls climate change “an immediate, grave threat to the state’s communities, environment, and economy.” According to NASA, 97% of climate scientists believe human activity, specifically burning fossil fuels, is the primary driver of climate change and global warming. And those changes to the climate have resulted in more intense and more frequent extreme weather events.
The New York legislature said the “Climate Superfund” was now possible because scientific research enables them “to determine with great accuracy the share of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by specific fossil fuel companies over the last 70 years or more, making it possible to assign liability to and require compensation from companies commensurate with their emissions during a given time period.”
“The governor’s approval of the Climate Change Superfund Act is a welcome holiday gift for New York taxpayers,” said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, in a statement. “Until her approval, New York taxpayers were 100% on the financial hook for climate costs. Now Big Oil will pay for much of the damages that they helped cause.”
The state anticipates collecting up to $75 billion over 25 years, and the law requires that at least 35% of the funds go to disadvantaged communities.
New York State Senator Liz Krueger said the new legislation was modeled after the federal Superfund law that requires polluters to pay for toxic waste cleanups.
But not everyone is cheering the new legislation. In a letter to Gov. Hochul, urging her to veto the bill, the Business Council of New York State, which represents more than 3,000 companies, chambers of commerce and associations, wrote, “The bill discriminates by targeting only the largest fossil fuel extraction and processing firms, including petroleum, natural gas, and coal.”
The Council added, “This legislation ignores the near universal use and benefits associated with fossil fuel.” They argued that the new law would do nothing to address what they said is the primary cause of carbon emissions: “consumption.”
There are still a lot of specifics that have yet to be determined, and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for figuring out the program’s details over the next few years. With legal challenges all but certain, it will be some time before the companies actually have to pay up.
-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
Could climate change bring more earthquakes?
Earthquakes are usually triggered by seismic activity deep beneath the Earth’s surface and far beyond the influence of atmospheric conditions. However, according to new research, there may be instances where climate change can impact seismic activity.
A recent Colorado State University study suggests that melting glaciers could impact earthquake activity in some areas. Researchers analyzed southern Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains during the last ice age. They found the active fault responsible for triggering earthquakes was held in place by the weight of glaciers sitting on top of it.
Thousands of years ago, as the last ice age ended and the planet began to naturally warm, glaciers in this region began to melt. The study found that as the ice melted, there was less pressure on the quake-prone fault, which triggered an increase in earthquake activity. Basically, the glacier was holding the fault in place — less ice, less weight.
There is limited scientific evidence linking changes in Earth’s climate to earthquake activity. Still, this study demonstrates that, in some cases, climate-related events, like melting glaciers, could influence seismic events.
Sean Gallen, Geosciences associate professor and senior author of the study, highlights that this research helps us better understand the factors that can drive earthquakes.
Even though the study focused on investigating links between Earth’s natural climate variability (an ice age) and seismic activity, this research shows how other glacier-adjacent faults worldwide could respond as greenhouse gas emissions accelerate global warming.
As human-amplified climate change continues to drive global glacier melt, earthquake activity along these faults could increase as glaciers recede.
“We see this in the rapid mountain glacial retreats in Alaska, the Himalayas and the Alps,” said Cece Hurtado, an author of the study. “In many of these regions, there are also active tectonics, and this work demonstrates that as climate change alters ice and water loads, tectonically active areas might see more frequent fault movements and earthquakes due to rapidly changing stress conditions.”
Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
(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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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, an official 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.
Tim Leedy/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images
(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.
(WASHINGTON) — The Commerce Department on Thursday proposed a rule to secure the technology and supply chain of drones from foreign adversaries, including the potential ability of China and Russia to remotely access and manipulate the devices to expose sensitive U.S. data.
The rule, proposed by the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), seeks to implement a rule that would explain how foreign adversary involvement in “supply chains, including acute threats from China and Russia — may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data,” according to a department news release.
BIS is hoping to get feedback on how information from drones is used and how it could pose a national security risk from adversaries, according to the Commerce Department.
“Securing the unmanned aircraft systems technology supply chain is critical to safeguarding our national security. This [rule making notice] is an essential step in protecting the United States from vulnerabilities posed by foreign entities,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The deadline for public comments on this rule is March 4, 2025.
It is the latest step in rulemaking from the Commerce Department.
Last year, BIS proposed a rule to ban Chinese software in cars from entering into the United States due to national security risks.
Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(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.
Authorities are investigating a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel in Nevada, Jan. 1, 2025. Obtained by ABC News.
(LAS VEGAS) — Authorities investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck on Wednesday outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel have expanded their search for evidence to Colorado and three other states, federal sources have confirmed to ABC News, as law enforcement agencies probe the incident as a possible act of terror.
The FBI is conducting operations and searches in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in relation to the Cybertruck explosion, sources told ABC News, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Investigators are following leads in at least four states and overseas, sources said.
A law enforcement official briefed on the probe told ABC News early Thursday that the truck was rented via the Turo app to a person named Matthew Livelsberger. The vehicle was picked up by license plate readers traveling from Colorado to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.
Detectives are still working through forensics to determine the identity of the person behind the wheel of the truck at the time of the Vegas incident, the law enforcement official said. The fire and explosion made the identification process difficult because of the physical injuries sustained by the driver, the official said.
The person who rented the truck is believed to have served in the Army. The person’s service record is now being actively reviewed.
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 is, so far, 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 that the truck was in front of the hotel for 15 to 20 seconds before it exploded.
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 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.
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.
The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to President-elect Donald 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 YORK) — Homebuyers eager to forget this year’s housing market may ring in 2025 with an extra dash of zeal.
A rapid rise in home prices has coincided with stubbornly high mortgage rates, shutting out potential buyers with daunting costs.
A burst of supply could have eased prices, but no such relief was forthcoming. Instead, homeowners have balked at swapping out their current mortgage rates for higher ones, and construction has failed to make up for a long-standing shortage in new homes.
Unfortunately, next year’s housing market will likely bring more of the same, experts told ABC News.
Home prices may rise at a slower pace, offering a glimmer of hope as high mortgage rates fall slightly but continue to weigh on consumer activity, they said.
Still, the market appears locked into a fundamental mismatch of supply and demand set to frustrate buyers, the experts added.
“I don’t see much sunshine in the forecast,” Ken Johnson, chief of real estate at the University of Mississippi, told ABC News. “It’s going to be gloomy and overcast, but it’s not going to be stormy.”
An unusual trend has beguiled buyers: Home prices are soaring, despite a prolonged stretch of high mortgage rates that, in theory, should crimp demand and push down prices.
Market observers who spoke to ABC News said they expect both price increases and mortgage rates to ease in 2025 — but only a smidge.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage stands at 6.85%, FreddieMac data last week showed. That figure has ticked up slightly since the start of the year, despite a series of interest rate cuts at the Federal Reserve in recent months.
Earlier this month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said rate cuts may slow over the course of 2025. Such a policy would leave mortgage rates higher for longer, experts said.
Redfin, a Seattle, Washington-based real estate giant, forecasts average 30-year fixed mortgage rates will remain in the high 6% range over the duration of 2025. Online real estate marketplace Zillow says mortgage rates will fall, but only moderately.
Alongside persistently high mortgage rates, experts predicted a continued, albeit slower, rise in home prices.
In September, Goldman Sachs predicted a 4.4% rise in home prices in 2025, which would mark a slight decline from the 4.5% rise in 2024.
The persistence of high mortgage rates will put some downward pressure on prices, since demand will soften as many consumers forego expensive loans, experts said, but the high rates will also exacerbate a lack of supply that has kept prices soaring.
Current homeowners will want to remain locked into relatively low mortgage rates. Homebuilding will deliver much-needed supply of new homes, but it will fall well short of the amount required to meet demand, experts said.
“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t feel like prices are going to moderate that much,” Marc Norman, associate dean at the New York University School of Professional Studies and Schack Institute of Real Estate, told ABC News. “If you don’t have a lot on the market, that’s going to put pressure on prices.”
Experts who spoke to ABC News acknowledged that economic forces could defy expectations, leaving the housing market in better or worse shape than anticipated.
Faster-than-expected progress in bringing inflation down to the Fed’s target level could free up the central bank to slash interest rates, which in turn would lower mortgage rates, some experts said. An economic downturn would damage household finances and ease demand, likely leading to a drop in home prices, they added.
If inflation proves more stubborn than expected, however, interest rates may stay high for even longer, experts said, which could put the housing market into an even deeper freeze.
For now, the outlook for 2025 appears clear, Christopher Mayer, a real estate professor at the Columbia University Business School, told ABC News.
“My best guess is that next year is a lot like this year,” Mayer said.
