Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
The active-duty Green Beret who detonated a Cybertruck outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day was “spiraling” and deep in a mental health crisis before the deadly blast, according to a report.
Matthew Livelsberger, 37, was suffering from a grave mental health crisis in the weeks leading up to January 1, 2025, when he fatally shot himself while inside his Tesla before it exploded outside the Trump International Hotel on the Vegas Strip, according to a new ABC News report.
Investigators found troubling signs when they searched Livelsberger’s phone after the explosion, which injured six people. Livelsberger had written about being “caught up in some craziness” but said he didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“As much as the [mainstream media] will paint me out to be some terrorist and monster, I had no intent on taking out anyone but myself if that happens. I am deeply sorry to anyone that gets hurt. I served my country for my entire adult life and I got caught up in some craziness and have outrun my headlights,” he wrote.
Former Army nurse Alicia Arritt, who dated Livelsberger for two years, received alarming text messages from the decorated serviceman about his mental state days before the explosion.
open image in gallery
The man who detonated a Cybertruck on New Year’s Day in Las Vegas was suffering from a mental health crisis, according to a new report (Facebook/Reuters)
“I have been spiraling down the last week or so…sometimes I get so hopeless and depressed it’s ridiculous. By far the worst week of my life,” Livelsberger wrote in text messages to Arritt, who said she hadn’t heard from him since 2022.
Arritt said she encouraged Livelsberger, who also struggled with his mental health during their relationship, to seek professional help.
“I always encouraged him to talk to somebody. I’ve lost a lot of friends in the military over the years, and I didn’t want that to happen to him, too,” she said.
In a statement to ABC, the Army said that Livelsberger had access to and used a program that provides physical, cognitive and medical care to soldiers.
Livelsberger, originally from Colorado but on leave from a deployment in Germany at the time of the attack, was not displaying any concerning behaviors when he was granted leave, the Army said.
Despite his concerning actions in the days leading up to the explosion, law enforcement officials said Livelsberger, a Green Beret of two decades, had not been on their radar.
“I’m not aware that he was ever on the radar of law enforcement previously,” Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill told ABC News. “I would go so far as to say, from what I’ve been able to see of his military record, he’d be what you described as a military hero.”
open image in gallery
The attack left six people injured (Getty Images)
Mental health struggles are not uncommon amongst veterans, clinical psychologist Chris Frueh told the outlet. However, many soldiers are reluctant to seek help over concerns that it will make them ineligible for deployment.
“If a soldier goes and says, I’m suffering, ‘I’m hurting’ and they say that to a psychologist or a physician, they run the risk of being pulled off deployment or pulled off deployable status, and nobody wants that,” said Frueh.
The attack came shortly after a suspect plowed a truck into New Orleans’ crowded Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring over 50 others, leaving law enforcement officials scrambling to see if the two attacks were connected.
Those worries were put to rest 36 hours after the explosion, when authorities identified Livelsberger as the suspect after finding his charred ID at the scene, which allowed them to determine the explosion was not related to the deadly attack in Louisiana.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org