What Is Turo? A Look at The Car Rental App Connected To New Orleans Attack, Vegas Cybertruck Explosion

As Americans are still reeling from both the tragic NYE attack in New Orleans and the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, a popular car rental app serves as the link between the two incidents.

Newsweek reports the drivers involved in both incidents used the Turo app to rent the associated vehicles.

A Turo spokesperson confirmed the rentals in a statement:

We are heartbroken by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and families. We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents.

RELATED: 15 Killed, at Least 30 Injured in Terror Attack on Bourbon Street

As previously reported, a man intentionally plowed his pickup truck into a busy crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning (Jan. 1), killing 15 and injuring 30. The suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was later killed in a shootout with authorities.

Later on Wednesday, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The driver of the vehicle was killed, and seven bystanders were injured. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that the Tesla was not defective. He attributed the blast to “large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed.”

Both incidents are being treated as an act of terrorism. According to the Associated Press, both were also associated with the Turo app.

A Turo spokesperson tells Newsweek:

We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat. 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.

What Is Turo?

Founded in 2009, Turo is a peer-to-peer car rental marketplace that allows users to rent cars from “trusted hosts” across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and France. Similar to how AirBnB rents out homes, Turo allows users to rent a selection of vehicles shared by local car owners, from everyday vehicles to luxury and vintage cars.

The app description reads:

Entrepreneurs can take the wheel of their futures by becoming hosts and building car-sharing businesses on Turo, leveraging an established platform to scale their businesses and meet their goals. With Turo, everyone has the power to get in the driver’s seat.

Turo has a 4.9 rating on Google Play and a 4.8 rating in Apple’s App Store, with users calling the service a “game-changer.”

Local authorities and the FBI are investigating both the New Orleans attack and the Vegas explosion.

President Joe Biden says in a statement:

I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share. In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.

READ MORE STORIES ON BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM:

• Who Is Shamsud-Din Jabbar? Meet the Army Veteran Identified in Deadly NOLA Attack
• What Is Turo? A Look at The Car Rental App Connected To New Orleans Attack, Vegas Cybertruck Explosion
• Travis Hunter Signs with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Sports Agency

HEAD TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM HOMEPAGE