The Associated Press Matthew Livelsberger, the man who was inside a Tesla Cybertruck when it exploded outside Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day, had New England ties. Livelsberger obtained a bachelor of science degree in strategic studies and defense analysis from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, according to his LinkedIn profile. The university later confirmed to MassLive that Livelsberger completed his online degree in 2019. “Above all, our hearts go out to those impacted,” a Norwich University spokesperson said in a statement. “We do not have additional details about the incident at this time.” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police publicly identified Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado Springs, as the person who died in the explosion on Thursday. His cause of death was labeled as a gunshot wound to the mouth and his manner of death was ruled a suicide, police said, citing the Clark County coroner. Livelsburger was an active-duty soldier with multiple accolades, including five Bronze Stars (including one with a valor), a Meritorious Service Medal and Army Achievement Medal, an Army spokesperson confirmed to MassLive Friday. Livelsburger enlisted and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011. He joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2022 and the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. Livelsburger then entered the active duty Army and was a U.S. Army special operations soldier assigned to 10th Special Forces Group in Stuttgart, Germany. The spokesperson also confirmed that Livelsburger was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and was on approved leave at the time of his death. “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 in a statement. The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday’s explosion but provided no other details. The explosion occurred after a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck pulled into the valet area of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas at around 8:40 a.m. on Jan. 1. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference Wednesday that officers saw smoke coming from the Cybertruck just before it exploded 15-20 seconds after. Seven people were injured as a result of the blast. All seven were treated at University Medical Center for minor injuries, according to authorities. Investigators later found multiple combustable devices — including several gas canisters, camping fuel and large firework mortars — in the bed of the truck, McMahill said. The sheriff also mentioned how the outside of the truck “was almost completely intact” following the explosion. “The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet,” McMahill said, adding that “most of the blast [went] up through the truck and out.” The front glass doors of the hotel were not even broken by the blast, despite the vehicle being parked right outside. The truck was rented in Colorado through Turo and tracked through Tesla charging stations, McMahill said. The sheriff showed a map of Livelsberger’s route during a Thursday press conference. It showed stops in several cities in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona before arriving in Las Vegas. Turo CEO Andre Haddad told CBS in a statement Friday that the company is cooperating in the investigation. “We’ve spent these tense, mournful hours investigating, partnering with law enforcement, and working around the clock to figure out how our platform could be misused by the perpetrators of such atrocities,” Haddad told the outlet. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also said to be cooperating in the investigation. Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “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.” “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote. He later posted an update that read, “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. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.” Musk’s political affiliation with Trump was also brought up at the Wednesday press conference. When questioned about a potential political connection regarding the explosion, McMahill said, “It’s a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump Tower.” “So there’s obviously things to be concerned about and it’s something we continue to look at,” the sheriff said. The explosion came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' famous French Quarter. The crash killed at least 15 people — including Jabbar, who was fatally shot by police — and injured another 30, according to The Associated Press. The crash is being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that it believes Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others. Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. This was confirmed by McMahill during the Thursday press conference. However, authorities have no evidence that both men served in the same unit or were on the base at the same time. “I also know they both served in Afghanistan in 2009,” McMahill said. “We don’t have any evidence that they were in the same province in Afghanistan, the same location or the same unit.” McMahill also mentioned that both Jabbar and Livelsburger used Turo to rent their vehicles. “We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the company told CBS in its statement. However, FBI official Christopher Raia said Thursday there is still "no definitive link" between the two events. When questioned about possible links between Las Vegas and New Orleans, McMahill said Wednesday that authorities are “absolutely investigating any connectivity,” adding, “We’re not ruling anything out.” However, early evidence suggests the Cybertruck explosion was an isolated incident. Therefore, McMahill has stressed that there is no threat to the public. That said, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has increased its presence throughout the city, including the Las Vegas Strip, as a result of the incident. The department plans on providing new information once it emerges. The explosion is being jointly investigated by local, state and federal authorities. More News