What is Turo, the app involved in Cybertruck blast and New Orleans attack?
A car explosion at the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas early Wednesday — which occurred hours after a truck drove into New Year’s revelers in another tourist hot spot — has set off an intense police search for more answers.
Though authorities now believe the incidents are not connected, according to Thursday morning reports, coincidentally, both events involved vehicles rented on Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental app used around the world.
What we know about the Vegas explosion
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a Wednesday news conference that a Tesla Cybertruck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. It drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling into the Trump property, he said. He showed drone video of gasoline canisters, camp fuel cans and firework mortars in the bed of the truck.
On Thursday, the driver was identified as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger. Authorities say he shot himself in the head moments before the Wednesday morning explosion. Seven others suffered minor injuries.
What is Turo?
Turo is a peer-to-peer car rental app with a similar customer experience to Airbnb. Users rent a vehicle directly from another user rather than a car rental company. On the app, users choose their preferred location and pick-up times.
In Wednesday’s explosion in Las Vegas, authorities say Livelsberger rented the truck in Denver on Dec. 28 and drove it to Las Vegas over several days, arriving Wednesday morning.
The company acknowledged its services were used in the Las Vegas explosion on Wednesday morning — as well as the attack in New Orleans in which the driver of a pickup truck plowed through crowds at the tourist spot Bourbon Street, killing over a dozen people and injuring more.
“Our trust and safety team is actively partnering with law enforcement authorities to share any information that could be helpful in their investigations. We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related,” part of a Wednesday statement from Turo read.
The app may collect information about its users from public records, background check providers or other screening services, “including credit reports and information about criminal convictions or from sex offender registries,” according to its privacy policy.
Turo, headquartered in San Francisco, told regulators it had about 150,000 active hosts and 350,000 active vehicle listings in over 16,000 cities as of Sept. 30, according to a November filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It’s privately held but is expected to go public.
Turo has been licensed as a peer-to-peer car sharing program in Clark County since September 2022, records show.
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org. Additionally, the Crisis Text Line is a free, national service available 24/7. Text HOME to 741741.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
