A truck that drove into a New Orleans crowd, killing 15 people, and a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day were both rented through Turo, an app that allows vehicle owners to rent out their cars or trucks, according to the company.
The company said it was not aware of any information that may link the two incidents.
Launched as RelayRides in August 2009, the company pitched itself as an alternative to car rental companies by allowing customers to rent specific cars by make and model directly from the car’s owner while also coordinating pickup and drop-offs.
RelayRides rebranded as Turo in November 2015 after adding $47 million in funding, bringing total funding—which includes investments from Alphabet’s venture capital arm, among others—to $101 million at the time.
Turo’s customers are required to be 18 years old, provide a valid driver’s license, home address and credit or debit card information, while additional information, such as the customer’s credit history or criminal history, could be requested to verify an account, according to the company.
Turo filed paperwork to go public in 2022 and most recently amended its filing in August 2024, but the company has yet to announce a date for its initial public offering.
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Neither renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a “security threat,” Turo said in a statement, noting it was not aware of any information that would have linked the two incidents (Turo did not immediately respond to a request for comment). Turo said it was “actively partnering” with law enforcement in investigations into both incidents. The owner of the Ford pickup truck used to drive through a crowd in New Orleans, which Turo condemned as a “horrific attack,” told the New York Times he had been renting out five cars on Turo, but did not plan to use the app again after his vehicle was used in the attack.
“Turo is dedicated to fostering a trustworthy marketplace,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. “We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals.”
At least 15 people were killed and another 35 were injured after a man drove a rented Ford pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Wednesday. The suspect, later identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, flew an ISIS flag on the truck and carried additional weapons and possible improvised explosive devices, according to the FBI. The agency said they do not believe Jabbar was “solely responsible” for the attack, which the FBI said it was investigating as an act of terrorism. Hours later, a Tesla Cybertruck parked outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas exploded, killing at least one person inside the vehicle and injuring another seven people. The truck appeared to contain gasoline, camp fuel canisters and “large firework mortars,” local police said. The name of the person killed in the explosion is not immediately known, though police said they are aware of who rented the truck. Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI’s acting special agent-in-charge for Las Vegas, said the agency was still trying to determine whether the incident was an act of terrorism. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk said the company was investigating the explosion, saying it had “never seen anything like this.”
3.5 million. That’s the estimated number of people who booked a vehicle through Turo between Nov. 1, 2023, and Nov. 1, 2024, according to company filings. During that period, about 150,000 people had rented out their cars, with about 350,000 active listings in more than 16,000 cities as of Sept. 30, 2024, Turo said.