FBI investigating ‘terrorism-related’ event after driver rammed car into Nevada power substation

The driver was a 23-year-old man from New York NewsWorldAmericasUS Crime NewsFBI investigating ‘terrorism-related’ event after driver rammed car into Nevada power substationThe driver was a 23-year-old man from New YorkJosh Marcus & Jessica HillSaturday 21 February 2026 13:02 ESTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverTerror Attack In US? Car Smashes Into Power Substation Near Las Vegas; Driver Dead, Motive UnknownThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticePolice and the FBI are investigating after a car filled with weapons was rammed into a power substation near the Hoover Dam Thursday, in what has been described as a "terrorism-related event.” It is the latest in a string of incidents targeting electric infrastructure in recent years but there is no ongoing threat to the public, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Friday. Police received a 911 call at 10 a.m. Thursday reporting a vehicle had crashed through a secured gate at the substation in Boulder City, located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas, McMahill said.A witness called in the incident after seeing the car crash then hearing gunshots, according to the sheriff. The driver of the vehicle was 23-year-old Dawson Maloney of Albany, New York, police said.Prior to the crash, Maloney had been reported missing. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, McMahill said.open image in galleryPolice say Dawson Malone, 23, of Albany, New York, rented a car and drove across the country then crashed into the substation outside Las Vegas (LVMPD)Security video, shared by Vegas police, shows a vehicle speeding towards the facility, swerving past a gate, then driving through a chainlink fence. Maloney’s vehicle, a rented Nissan Sentra, later crashed into large wooden bales of wire, police photos show. Fallen traffic cones were strewn across the substation in the wake of the incident.The man communicated with family members before the crash, referencing self-harm, and said he was going to commit an act that would gain media attention. He referred to himself as a terrorist in a message sent to his mother, police said.Authorities found explosive materials and multiple books “related to extremist ideologies” in Maloney’s hotel room, McMahill said. The books included ones about right- and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacism and anti-government ideology, he said. Police photos also show multiple U.S. military weapons manuals recovered from his possessions.“These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident,” McMahill said during the press conference.open image in galleryPolice say they recovered a ‘smorgasbord of radical literature’ from crime scenes tied to Maloney (LVMPD)The official described the materials as a "smorgasbord of radical literature” and said law enforcement agencies are seeing a rise in individuals combining disparate extremist ideas.“This is something that we have seen in the last couple of years that individuals will take very left-wing ideology, very right-wing ideology, combine it ... and then they come up with their own, their own ideology," he said.Hotel guest Logan Stubbs said he saw Maloney before the crash."He had his hoodie up and just looked really sketchy,” Stubbs told ABC7. “There was just something off about him.”Maloney is listed as a student at Albany Law School in the class of 2027. He was also an honors student at New York’s Siena University.“We are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of one of our law students, Dawson Maloney, in an off-campus incident,” Tom Torello, director of communications and marketing at Albany Law School, said in a statement.open image in galleryThe driver of the car was a 23-year-old from New YorkTwo shotguns, an assault rifle-style pistol, and flame throwers were found in his rental car, McMahill said. A police photo shows the weapons piled on top of each other near one of the car seats. About six shotgun shells can be seen nearby.Maloney was wearing what police described as “soft-body armor” at the time of the crash.Authorities recovered a 3D printer and several gun components needed to assemble a firearm from an Albany residence. Officials have searched two Albany residences overall as part of their investigation.Maloney had driven a rental car from Albany to Boulder City, according to Christopher Delzano, the FBI's Las Vegas special agent-in-charge.The New York man rented the car on February 12 and began driving across the country two days later.open image in galleryThe crash at the substation, near the Hoover Dam, did not cause any power outages, officials said (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Boulde