Authorities say weapons and explosive materials were recovered after the crash in Boulder City.
BOULDER CITY, NV — Las Vegas-area police are investigating what they described as a terrorism-related incident after a driver rammed a vehicle through a secured gate at a power substation southeast of Las Vegas on Feb. 19 and later died at the scene.
Officials said the incident put new focus on the security of the nation’s energy infrastructure, even as authorities stressed there was no ongoing threat to the public and no disruption of electric service. Investigators said the driver, identified as a 23-year-old from Albany, New York, had communicated with family members in advance and left messages pointing to self-harm and a desire to be seen. The FBI joined the investigation, citing the location of the facility and items recovered from the vehicle and a nearby hotel room.
Police said 911 dispatchers received a call at about 10 a.m. on Feb. 19 reporting that a vehicle had crashed through a secured gate at the substation in Boulder City, roughly 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said officers responded and found the driver dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators later identified the driver as Dawson Maloney, whom authorities said had recently been reported missing in New York. McMahill said the man had sent messages to family members before the crash that referred to self-harm and suggested he planned to do something that would put him “on the news.” In one message to his mother, McMahill said, the man referred to himself as a terrorist.
Inside the rental vehicle, police said they found multiple weapons and protective gear, including two shotguns, an assault rifle-style pistol and what officials described as flame throwers, along with ammunition and magazines. McMahill said the driver was wearing “soft-body armor.” Authorities said additional items recovered during the early stages of the investigation included materials consistent with explosive-making components and several books tied to extremist ideologies. McMahill said the books covered a range of subjects, including right- and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacist writings and anti-government ideology. “These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident,” McMahill said at a news conference the next day.
Investigators said the driver had traveled from New York to southern Nevada before the crash. Christopher Delzano, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Las Vegas, said agents were working with law enforcement agencies in New York to trace the man’s movements and contacts and to determine whether anyone else had advance knowledge of the plan. Officials said a 3D printer and gun components needed to assemble a firearm were recovered from a residence connected to the investigation in Albany. Police and federal agents also collected evidence from a hotel room used by the driver in the Las Vegas area, including electronic devices and items described by authorities as explosive materials. Officials did not publicly identify any specific target beyond the substation and said they were still reviewing evidence to determine intent, planning and whether the driver meant to damage equipment inside the facility.
The substation is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, officials said, and is part of a system linked to operations around the Hoover Dam. McMahill said the facility works closely with the dam and transfers power to the Los Angeles basin. Boulder City Police Chief Timothy Shea said there was no evidence of major damage to critical infrastructure and that service was not disrupted. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said in a statement that it was aware of the incident and that there were no impacts to its operations. Boulder City, best known as the home of the Hoover Dam, sits along a major corridor used by visitors traveling between Las Vegas and northern Arizona, and officials said they moved quickly to reassure residents and travelers that the area was safe.
Authorities framed the case against a broader backdrop of concern about threats to electrical infrastructure across the United States. They pointed to past incidents in which substations and other energy sites have been targeted, including a 2023 case in which a man rammed a car through a fence at a solar facility in the desert northeast of Las Vegas and set the vehicle on fire. Officials said that attack served Las Vegas Strip casinos and later raised questions about how quickly first responders could reach remote facilities. Nationally, law enforcement agencies have investigated other attacks and attempted attacks on substations in several states in recent years, incidents that have renewed debate about physical security for critical grid equipment that is often spread over wide, lightly staffed areas.
The investigation into the Boulder City crash was still in its early stages as police and the FBI worked to sort through recovered weapons, electronics and documents. Officials said they were analyzing the driver’s communications, travel records and purchases to map the timeline leading up to the crash. Authorities also said they were reviewing any available surveillance footage from the substation and nearby roads, including security video that police said showed the vehicle entering through a gate area. Investigators have not released a detailed account of how the driver gained access to the gate or how far the car traveled inside the secured perimeter before coming to a stop. They also have not said whether the driver fired any shots other than the one that killed him. Shea said the physical evidence at the scene indicated the most critical parts of the facility were not damaged.
Because the driver died at the scene, authorities said the case would proceed as an investigation rather than a prosecution, with federal and local agencies focused on establishing motive and assessing any remaining risk. Officials said they were coordinating with New York law enforcement to continue searches and interviews and to process evidence recovered outside Nevada. McMahill said investigators were treating the episode as terrorism-related based on the location, the pre-incident messages and the weapons and materials recovered, but he emphasized that authorities had not identified any continuing threat. The FBI said agents would continue to examine whether the driver had ties to any groups or whether the plan was carried out alone. Officials said additional information would be released as it was verified and as evidence review permitted.
In New York, Albany Law School confirmed the driver was a student and issued a brief statement of condolence. “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, the school’s director of communications and marketing. In Boulder City, residents and workers near the facility described a heavy law enforcement presence after the crash, with officers securing roads near the substation while investigators processed the scene. McMahill said the response also included coordination with utility officials to check equipment and confirm there were no disruptions. Shea said the city’s police department was working closely with federal authorities and the utility owner to review security measures at the site while the investigation continued.
Authorities said on Feb. 21 that there was still no indication of broader danger to the public as investigators continued reviewing evidence from the vehicle, hotel room and related locations in New York. Officials said the next milestone would be the completion of forensic testing on recovered items and the review of the driver’s electronic devices, with updates expected as results become available.
Author note: Last updated February 21, 2026.