By Gabe Whisnant
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Las Vegas police are investigating a car that rammed into a power substation Thursday as a possible “terrorism-related event,” authorities said, though they emphasized there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference Friday that officers received a 911 call at about 10 a.m. reporting a vehicle had crashed through a secured gate at the substation in Boulder City, roughly 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas, and home of the Hoover Dam.
The driver, identified as 23‑year‑old Dawson Maloney of Albany, New York, was reported missing and later died from a self‑inflicted gunshot wound, McMahill said.
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What Police Say Happened at the Nevada Substation
McMahill said Maloney deliberately drove his vehicle into the facility, prompting a multi‑agency response. Authorities said there was no evidence of damage that would disrupt power delivery or pose a broader risk to public safety.
Boulder City Police Chief Timothy Shea said there was no major damage to critical infrastructure and no service interruptions tied to the incident.
“There’s no ongoing threat to the public,” McMahill said.
Police said the investigation into Thursday’s crash remains ongoing.
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Messages Referencing Terrorism and Self‑Harm
Before the crash, Maloney communicated with family members, referencing self‑harm and saying he planned to commit an act that would place him on the news, according to police. He referred to himself as a terrorist in a message sent to his mother, authorities said.
“These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident,” McMahill said.
Investigators said they are continuing to review Maloney’s communications and actions leading up to the crash as part of the ongoing investigation.
Extremist Materials and Weapons Recovered
Authorities later searched Maloney’s hotel room and found explosive materials and multiple books “related to extremist ideologies,” McMahill said. The books included materials on right‑ and left‑wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacism and anti‑government ideology.
Maloney was wearing what police described as “soft-body armor” at the time of the incident, McMahill said.
Two shotguns, an assault rifle‑style pistol and flamethrowers were found inside his rental car, according to police. Authorities also recovered a 3D printer and several gun components needed to assemble a firearm from a residence in Albany.
McMahill said the discovery of weapons and materials remains a key focus of the investigation.
Who was Dawson Maloney?
McMahill said Maloney was listed as a student at Albany Law School in the class of 2027. He was also previously an honors student for multiple semesters at Siena University in New York.
Albany Law School confirmed Maloney’s death in a statement.
“We are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of one of our law students, Dawson Maloney, in an off-campus incident,” said Tom Torello, director of communications and marketing at Albany Law School.
Substation Near Critical Infrastructure
Boulder City is home to the Hoover Dam, one of the nation’s most significant pieces of infrastructure. The dam supplies water to millions of people and generates an average of 4 billion kilowatt‑hours of hydroelectric power each year for Nevada, Arizona and California.
The substation involved in the crash is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. McMahill said the facility works closely with Hoover Dam and transfers power to the Los Angeles basin.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said in a statement to The Associated Press that it was aware of the incident and that there were no impacts or disruptions to its operations.
Prior Incidents Raise Broader Concerns
A similar incident occurred in 2023, when a man rammed a car through a fence at a solar power facility northeast of Las Vegas and set the vehicle on fire. That facility supplied electricity to Las Vegas Strip casinos, and the suspect in that case was later declared unfit for trial.
The incident followed several attacks and arrests involving electrical substations in states including Washington, Oregon and North Carolina, heightening federal concerns about the security of the nation’s power grid.
Updates: 2/20/26, 7:53 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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