Possible Act of Terrorism in Boulder City

Law enforcement agencies are investigating what they describe as a possible terrorism-related incident after a man rammed a vehicle into a power substation outside Boulder City on Thursday and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. at a substation on Eldorado Valley Drive between Boulder City and Searchlight. Boulder City Police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a vehicle had driven through a fence and that gunshots rang out shortly afterward.

Officers arriving at the scene found the driver inside the vehicle, deceased from what authorities said was an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The vehicle had crashed into a pile of industrial wire spools inside the secured facility.

The driver was 23-year-old Dawson Noah Maloney of Albany, New York. Authorities stated that Maloney rented the vehicle in New York on Feb. 12 and began driving west on Feb. 14.

Maloney communicated with family members before the incident, referencing self-harm and stating he intended to commit an act that would put him “on the news.” In messages to his mother, he referred to himself as a terrorist and described himself as her “dead terrorist son,” authorities said.

Family members had recently reported him missing, but had remained in contact with him before the crash.

Police said Maloney was holding a shotgun believed to be the weapon used in his death and was wearing soft body armor. A search of the vehicle uncovered additional firearms, numerous magazines, shotgun shells, and two devices described as flamethrowers.

Investigators also searched a hotel room in Boulder City, where they found materials including thermite, ammonium nitrate, metal pipes, and gasoline, along with books containing extremist ideologies, according to authorities.

Metro Police’s counterterrorism unit responded to the scene, and the FBI field offices in Las Vegas and Albany are assisting with the investigation. FBI agents also searched two residences in the Albany area, collecting electronic devices at one location and gun components and a 3D printer at another.