- According to Turo, the Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas was rented through them.
- The app was also used to rent the truck involved in the New Orleans attack.
- President Biden stated that authorities are investigating whether the two incidents are connected.
The Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas on Wednesday was rented through Turo, the same car-sharing app that rented the pickup truck used in the New Orleans attack earlier that day.
Turo confirmed on its website on Wednesday that the vehicles involved in both incidents had been rented through its service.
“Our trust and safety team is actively partnering with law enforcement authorities to share any information that could be helpful in their investigations,” according to a statement. “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.”
Shamsud-Din Jabbar has been identified as the assailant in the fatal New Orleans attack. Jabbar’s criminal record, obtained from the Texas Department of Public Safety and reviewed by Business Insider, reveals two prior arrests in 2002 and 2005.
The first was for theft, and the second was for driving with an invalid license. Both were classified as misdemeanors.
Celebrity-backed company
Turo allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles. It’s similar to Airbnb or VRBO, but for vehicles rather than homes.
The San Francisco-based company sells a wide range of vehicles, including Toyotas, Porsches, and Teslas, and has operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and France.
Investors include the venture arms of American Express, BMW, and Liberty Mutual, as well as top venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures. Celebrities, including rapper 2 Chainz and NBA and NFL players, have also invested.
Turo has nearly 1,000 employees and was valued at $1.5 billion in 2020, according to PitchBook. The company, founded in 2009, filed for an IPO in 2021 but has yet to go public.
According to a March 2024 filing, the company had 360,000 cars listed on its platform by the end of 2023, with approximately 3.7 million people booking cars that year.
Turo stated in that filing that customers who engage in criminal activity may harm the company’s reputation and create potential legal liabilities, which is a standard line in these documents.
The company stated that it has no control over, or ability to predict, the actions of car renters, whom it refers to as “guests.”
“We cannot conclusively verify the identity of all guests, nor do we verify or screen third parties who may be present during a trip using a vehicle booked through our platform,” according to our March filing. “Our trust and safety processes focus primarily on guests to reduce the risk of vehicle theft and motor vehicle accidents.”
In 2023, the company reported revenue of nearly $880 million, representing an 18% increase over the previous year. It made $14.7 million in profits, a significant decrease from $154.7 million in 2022. Losses and high costs are common for growing technology companies, particularly those that have not yet gone public.
Authorities are investigating possible connections between attacks
In a press conference Wednesday, President Joe Biden said authorities were looking into whether there was a link between the Las Vegas explosion and the New Orleans attack.
The Metropolitan Police Department sheriff, Kevin McMahill, told a press conference that the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck was killed and seven others were injured when the vehicle exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
“We’re very aware of what happened in New Orleans with the event that occurred there, as well as the number of victims and the additional IEDs,” McMahill said, referring to Wednesday morning’s attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people. “So, as you can imagine, with an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe.”
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, wrote on X that the explosion was “caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb” in the Cybertruck’s bed.
