• The Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas was rented on Turo, the company said.

• The app was also used to rent the truck used in the New Orleans attack.

• President Biden said authorities are investigating whether the two incidents are related.

The Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas on Wednesday was rented through Turo, the same car-sharing app that was used to rent the pickup truck used in the New Orleans attack early Wednesday.

In a statement on its website Wednesday, Turo confirmed that the vehicles involved in both incidents were rented through its service.

“Our trust and safety team is actively working with law enforcement to share any information that may assist in their investigation,” the statement said. “We do not believe either tenant had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security risk, and we are not aware of any information at this time to suggest the two incidents are related.”

Shamsud-Din Jabbar has been identified as a suspect in the deadly attack in New Orleans. Jabbar’s criminal record, obtained by the Texas Department of Public Safety and viewed by Business Insider, shows two previous arrests in 2002 and 2005.

The first case involved theft, the other involved driving with an invalid driving license. Both were classified as misdemeanors.

Celebrity Endorsed Company

Turo allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles. It’s similar to Airbnb or Vrbo, but for vehicles instead of houses.

The San Francisco-based company offers a wide range of cars, from Toyotas to Porsches to Teslas, and operates in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and France.

Investors include venture capital firms American Express, BMW and Liberty Mutual, as well as leading venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures. Celebrities such as rapper 2 Chainz as well as NBA and NFL players have also invested.

Turo employs nearly 1,000 people and was valued at $1.5 billion in 2020, according to PitchBook. The company, founded in 2009, filed for an initial public offering in 2021 but has not yet gone public.

The company had 360,000 cars listed on its platform at the end of 2023, and about 3.7 million people booked cars that year, according to a March 2024 report. In that filing, Turo said that actions by customers that result in criminal activity could harm the company’s reputation and give rise to potential legal liabilities – a standard statement in those documents.

The company wrote that it has no control over or ability to predict the actions of the car rental companies it calls guests.

“We cannot conclusively verify the identity of all guests, nor do we screen or screen any third parties who may be present during a trip on a vehicle booked through our platform,” the March filing said. “Our trust and safety processes focus primarily on guests to reduce the risk of vehicle theft and motor vehicle accidents.”

The company reported revenue of nearly $880 million in 2023, representing 18% year-over-year growth. Profit was $14.7 million, a sharp decline from $154.7 million in 2022. Losses and high costs are common among growing technology companies, especially those that are not yet public.

Authorities are investigating possible connections between the attacks

In a news conference on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said authorities were investigating whether there was a connection between the Las Vegas explosion and the New Orleans attack.

Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck was killed and seven others were injured after the vehicle exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

“We are very aware of what happened in New Orleans, with the incident that occurred there and the number of casualties there and the additional IEDs,” McMahill said, referring to the situation Attack in New Orleans in which 15 people were killed on Wednesday morning. “As you can imagine, in the face of an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our community.”

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla wrote on X that the explosion was caused “by very large fireworks and/or a bomb” in the back of the Cybertruck.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider