NY man crashes into Nevada power facility; firearms and explosives recovered
A New York man died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound after crashing a vehicle through a security gate at a power substation near Las Vegas, Nevada, where authorities found multiple firearms and explosive materials, according to officials. The case is being treated as terrorism-related.
The incident took place at about 10 a.m. on Friday when Boulder City police received a 911 call reporting that a vehicle had crashed through a gate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill. The caller said the driver appeared to be deceased and that gunshots had been heard after the crash.
Responding officers found a silver Nissan Sentra with New York license plates stopped against large industrial wire reels inside the facility, which investigators believe prevented the vehicle from advancing further.
McMahill said officers observed a deceased male in the driver’s seat with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The man was holding a shotgun, and a bullet hole was visible through the windshield.
The driver was identified as Dawson Noah Maloney of Albany, New York. Authorities said he had recently been reported missing and had communicated with family members shortly before the incident.
“In a message to his mother, the suspect referred to himself as a dead terrorist son and stated he felt he had an obligation to carry out his act,” McMahill said. He added that Maloney made statements referencing self-harm and alluding to committing an act that would put him “on the news.”
License plate reader data showed Maloney traveled from New York to Nevada in a rental vehicle. FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Delzotto said investigators believe Maloney rented a car in Albany on February 12 and left the area around February 14, driving across the country to Boulder City.
Authorities executed search warrants on the vehicle and at a room at the El Rancho Boulder Hotel where Maloney had been staying. McMahill said the department’s armored task force cleared the vehicle for secondary threats.
Inside the car, officers recovered two shotguns, an AR-style pistol, numerous loaded AR magazines with .223 ammunition, a box of shotgun shells, two devices described as flamethrowers containing thermite material, a crowbar, a hatchet, and a cellphone. Maloney was wearing soft body armor.
From the hotel room, police recovered books related to extremist ideologies, including right- and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacy and anti-government ideology.
They also found explosive materials and components, including thermite, ammonium nitrate, magnesium ribbon, metal pipes and gasoline.
In coordination with FBI Albany and local partners, two additional search warrants were executed at residences in Albany. Delzotto said investigators recovered electronics from one location and gun components and a 3D printer from another.
Given the location of the facility and the materials discovered inside the vehicle and hotel room, McMahill said the incident was treated as terrorism-related. “These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident,” he said.
Boulder City Police Chief Timothy Shea said there was no indication of major damage to critical infrastructure and no known service interruptions. The facility works closely with Hoover Dam and transfers a large portion of power to the Los Angeles basin.
Officials said it is too early to determine a motive or whether Maloney specifically intended to target that substation. The investigation remains ongoing.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
