Flamethrower Attack Targets Hoover Dam Grid

A would-be attacker drove across the country to hit America’s power grid—and the unsettling part is how close a lone actor came with an improvised arsenal and a thirst for headlines.

Quick Take

Police and the FBI are investigating a “terrorism-related event” after a 23-year-old rammed a vehicle into an LADWP substation near Boulder City, Nevada.
Authorities say the driver, Dawson Maloney of Albany, New York, died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while wearing soft body armor and holding a shotgun.
Investigators reported weapons, ammunition, flamethrowers with thermite, explosives, and tools inside the vehicle, plus extremist-ideology reading material in a nearby hotel room.
LADWP and police said the incident caused no major infrastructure damage and no service disruptions, but it renewed warnings about grid vulnerability.

What Happened at the Nevada Substation

Las Vegas-area law enforcement says the incident unfolded around 10 a.m. local time on February 20, 2026, near Boulder City, about 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas. A driver in a rented silver Nissan Sentra breached a secured gate at an LADWP substation that helps move power tied to Hoover Dam into the Los Angeles Basin. Officers responding to a 911 call located the driver deceased, with gunfire reported near the vehicle.

Authorities described the evidence as going far beyond a routine crash or isolated self-harm scene. Police said the vehicle held multiple weapons and ammunition, including two shotguns and an AR-style pistol, along with loaded magazines and shotgun shells. Investigators also reported flamethrowers with thermite, explosives, and tools such as a crowbar and hatchet. The car reportedly came to rest against wire reels, and officials said there was no major damage.

Why Investigators Labeled It “Terrorism-Related”

LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill and FBI Special Agent Christopher Delzotto said the case is being handled as a terrorism-related investigation because the ramming appeared intentional and the materials suggested preparation for a destructive act. Police also cited messages the suspect allegedly sent to family members referencing self-harm, calling himself a “dead terrorist son,” and indicating he wanted an act that would get on the news. Investigators said motive remains under review.

Officials also emphasized the ideological trail is not cleanly partisan, which complicates quick narratives. Police said a nearby hotel room contained books touching multiple extremist themes, including right-wing and left-wing ideologies, environmental extremism, white supremacy, and anti-government material. Investigators also executed warrants in New York, reporting firearm components and a 3D printer. For the public, the most defensible conclusion so far is narrow: the suspect appears to have been a lone actor seeking notoriety.

Security Hardening Helped—But the Threat to Critical Infrastructure Remains

Authorities credited “target hardening” at the site—private security and video surveillance—for limiting consequences and improving investigative clarity. Sheriff McMahill referenced an earlier incident at the same facility where surveillance was lacking, underscoring how basic physical security can change outcomes. Even with no outage this time, the target choice highlights a persistent concern: substations are geographically dispersed, difficult to fully guard, and can be attacked with simple tactics.

Law enforcement also pointed to broader precedents that have shaped how officials think about the power grid as a target, including the 2013 Metcalf substation attack in California and the 2022 North Carolina substation shootings. Those incidents underscored that physical attacks can be low-tech but high-impact. The February 2026 case shows another modern twist: investigators say the suspect possessed tools and materials that could enable rapid escalation without a large network.

What This Means for the Public—and for Policy Debates

Officials said there is no ongoing public threat tied to this specific incident, and LADWP reported no service disruption. Still, cases like this tend to shape national debates about domestic extremism and public safety, and they can also become excuses for sweeping policy proposals that miss the mark. The facts here point toward better perimeter protection and faster interagency coordination—not broad-brush attacks on constitutional rights or politicized blame games untethered from evidence.

Driver armed with a flamethrower rams LADWP substation in possible 'terrorism-related event' https://t.co/fTx6G06jeA pic.twitter.com/kwXPKYZ79d

— New York Post (@nypost) February 21, 2026

As the FBI continues digital forensics on phones and other electronics, unanswered questions remain, including why this particular site was chosen and what the suspect expected to accomplish. The clearest lesson is practical: critical infrastructure attracts attention from unstable individuals and ideological extremists across categories, not just one “side.” Americans can demand hardening of real targets like substations without surrendering core liberties—or letting past years of government overreach turn every crisis into a pretext.