Las Vegas police investigate terrorism event after vehicle rammed into
power substation
[February 21, 2026]
By JESSICA HILL
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police say they're investigating a car that
rammed into a power substation Thursday as a " terrorism-related event."
There's no ongoing threat to the public, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police
Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference Friday.
Police received a 911 call at 10 a.m. Thursday reporting a vehicle crash
through a secured gate at the substation in Boulder City, located
approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas, McMahill
said.
The driver of the vehicle was 23-year-old Dawson Maloney from Albany,
New York, who was reported missing and died from a self-inflicted
gunshot wound, McMahill said.
The man had communicated with family before the crash, referencing
self-harm, and said he was going to commit an act that would place him
on the news. He referred to himself as a terrorist in a message sent to
his mother, according to police.
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.
“These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident,”
McMahill said.
Maloney is listed as a student at Albany Law School in the class of
2027. He was also an honors student for multiple semesters at Siena
University, located in New York.
Two shotguns, an assault rifle-style pistol, and flame throwers were
found in his rental car, McMahill said. Maloney was wearing what police
described as “soft-body armor.”
Authorities recovered a 3D printer and several gun components needed to
assemble a firearm from an Albany residence. Maloney had driven a rental
car from Albany to Boulder City, according to Christopher Delzano, the
FBI's Las Vegas special agent-in-charge.
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This photo provided by KTNV shows damage to a fence outside a power
substation, where authorities say they are investigating a car
collision, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Boulder City, Nevada. (KTNV
via AP)
Boulder City is a historic town and home to the Hoover Dam, which is
considered one of the country’s modern civil engineering wonders.
The dam provides 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 power substation that was rammed is owned by the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power. The facility works closely with
Hoover Dam and transfers power to the Los Angeles basin, McMahill
said. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said in a
statement to The Associated Press that it is aware of the incident,
and there were no impacts or disruptions to its operations.
Boulder City Police Chief Timothy Shea said there is no evidence of
major damage to critical infrastructure and no service disruptions.
A similar incident occurred in 2023 when a man rammed a car through
a fence at a solar power facility in the desert northeast of Las
Vegas, setting the car on fire. The solar power facility served Las
Vegas Strip casinos. He was declared unfit for trial. That attack
followed several incidents and arrests involving electrical
substations in states including Washington, Oregon and North
Carolina and concerns expressed by federal officials about the
security of the nation’s electricity transmission network.
“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, in a statement.
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