A Decorated Soldier’s Final Message: A “Wake-Up Call” to the Nation
Disturbing notes found on the phone of the Cybertruck bomber have shed light on his motives, with him claiming that the tragic incident was “not a terrorist attack” but rather “a wake-up call.”
On New Year’s Day, 37-year-old US Special Forces soldier Matthew Livelsberger, a highly decorated serviceman from Colorado Springs, took his own life in a devastating act outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Sitting in his Tesla Cybertruck, which he had rigged with explosives, Livelsberger detonated the vehicle, injuring seven people nearby.
Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time and had traveled to Las Vegas to carry out the shocking act. Although the explosion caused minor injuries and minimal damage to the hotel, authorities have determined that the serviceman’s death was a suicide. Investigators, alongside Tesla’s senior team—as confirmed by Elon Musk—are combing through his electronic devices in an attempt to fully understand his motives.
A Glimpse Into His Thoughts: Disturbing Notes Discovered
Police have now revealed the contents of two deeply unsettling notes found on Livelsberger’s phone.
“Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves,” read the first note.
The second note was equally alarming: “We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”
In the same note, Livelsberger emphasized that his actions were not intended as terrorism but as a desperate attempt to send a message. “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”
He concluded with a personal revelation: “Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
Cryptic Texts to an Ex-Girlfriend
In the days leading up to the explosion, Livelsberger reached out to his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Arritt, with seemingly lighthearted messages. On December 29 at 9 a.m., he texted her from Denver: “I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s the s***.”
Their conversation remained casual, with Livelsberger joking, “I feel like Batman or halo.” He continued sending photos and videos of the vehicle until New Year’s Eve, offering no indication of his dark plans.
Arritt, surprised by the sudden contact after their difficult breakup in 2021, said Livelsberger seemed upbeat. He even shared an update about his new job: “I’m building drones in my new position. You would love it.”
When Arritt asked about the Cybertruck’s performance, Livelsberger replied with one word: “Ungodly.”
A Kind Yet Troubled Soul
Following the explosion, Arritt spoke to The Denver Gazette, describing Livelsberger as “the kindest man” she’d ever met. “He got me through a difficult time,” she said, recalling how he once bought his mother a house when she fell ill.
But Livelsberger’s life had taken a turn after a traumatic brain injury sustained during a tour in the Middle East in 2019. Arritt noted that he became more isolated and his behavior changed significantly.
Despite these challenges, she remembered him as someone deeply patriotic, making the events of New Year’s Day even more difficult to comprehend. “He loved his country,” she said.
At the time of his death, Livelsberger was married and had recently welcomed a child. The explosion, while tragic, had minimal impact on the Trump hotel itself, and no lives were lost apart from his own. Authorities continue to investigate the incident as they piece together the life and thoughts of a man whose final act was both shocking and deeply tragic.