Albany Law School student dies in Hoover Dam ‘terrorism’ incident – Times Union

Lead

Law enforcement officials say a 23-year-old Albany Law School student, identified as Dawson Maloney, drove from New York to Boulder City, Nevada, and crashed a rented vehicle through the security gate of an energy substation near the Hoover Dam on Thursday at about 10 a.m. He died at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and authorities are treating the episode as a terrorism-related event. Investigators recovered multiple firearms and devices in the vehicle and extremist-related books in a nearby hotel room while the FBI and local police continue forensic analysis. Albany Law School confirmed the student’s death and said it will not release further details at this time.

Key takeaways

• The victim was identified as 23-year-old Dawson Maloney, listed as a member of Albany Law School’s class of 2027.
• The crash occurred at about 10 a.m. Thursday at an energy supply facility near Hoover Dam in Boulder City, Nevada, roughly 35 miles south of Las Vegas.
• Maloney died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after driving through a security gate; witnesses reported hearing gunfire immediately after the collision.
• Investigators found multiple firearms in the rented vehicle, including two shotguns and an AR-style pistol, plus numerous loaded AR magazines and a box of shotgun shells.
• Other items recovered included two devices described by police as flamethrowers, a crowbar, a hatchet and soft body armor worn by the suspect.
• Law enforcement located books in the hotel room tied to extremist ideologies ranging from right- and left-wing extremism to environmental extremism, white supremacy and anti-government thought.
• Officials said Maloney rented the vehicle on Feb. 12 in New York and left the Albany area on Feb. 14; the FBI Albany field office is leading the broader investigation.
• Searches of two Albany residences yielded electronic devices, gun components and a 3D printer, according to the FBI’s Las Vegas field office special agent in charge.

Background

The Hoover Dam sits on the Colorado River near the Nevada–Arizona border; the facility targeted in this incident is an energy supply substation in Boulder City, about 35 miles south of Las Vegas. Critical infrastructure such as power substations has been the focus of heightened security since several high-profile attacks and plots over the last decade prompted federal and state agencies to coordinate threat assessments and resilience planning. That broader context has made any crash or breach at a power facility immediately sensitive for law enforcement and emergency planners.

Albany Law School enrolls students from across the United States, and authorities said the suspect was reported missing from New York shortly before traveling to Nevada. Federal investigators have in recent years expanded protocols for monitoring interstate movements linked to possible attacks on critical infrastructure, and the involvement of both the FBI and local agencies reflects those joint procedures. The presence of both ideological and mechanical indicators—books, weapons, and a 3D printer—will shape the forensic and criminal-justice aspects of the probe.

Main event

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the rented vehicle breached the security gate of the substation at roughly 10 a.m. Thursday as shown on security-camera footage displayed by authorities. A person who witnessed the crash called police and reported hearing gunfire immediately after the vehicle struck the gate; investigators said one round was apparently fired through the windshield of the car. Responding officers found the driver with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and later pronounced him dead at the scene.

Search warrants executed on the rented vehicle revealed two shotguns, an AR-style pistol, multiple loaded AR magazines, a box of shotgun shells, and two devices described by the sheriff as flamethrowers, along with a crowbar, a hatchet and a cellular phone now undergoing forensic analysis. The sheriff said the suspect was wearing soft body armor at the time of the incident. Investigators also obtained footage of the crash and collected physical evidence at the substation and at the hotel where the suspect had stayed.

Authorities identified the driver as Dawson Maloney, 23, who is listed on Albany Law School’s website as a member of the class of 2027. The sheriff said the suspect had been reported missing from New York before the trip and had communicated with family members shortly before the incident, making statements that referenced self-harm and an intent to carry out an act that would put him in the news.

Analysis & implications

Law-enforcement officials’ decision to classify the incident as “terrorism-related” signals an assessment that the crash and subsequent actions were intended to threaten or intimidate beyond a personal or criminal motive. That classification has legal and investigatory implications: it activates federal resources, expands the scope for national-security agencies to participate, and raises the possibility of federal charges if a domestic terrorism statute or related statutes apply. For communities near critical infrastructure, the event will likely prompt renewed reviews of perimeter security and operational contingencies at substations and other distributed assets.

The mix of materials found—the range of firearms, devices described as flamethrowers, body armor and extremist literature spanning multiple ideologies—complicates simple motive attribution. Investigators will need to determine whether the ideological material reflects consistent adherence to a single movement or an idiosyncratic amalgam of beliefs. Forensic analysis of digital devices, rental and travel records, and interviews with family and acquaintances will be central to reconstructing intent and any planning timeline.

There are also operational consequences for law enforcement and infrastructure operators. If confirmed as an operationally planned strike, the incident could accelerate efforts to harden substation perimeters, increase remote monitoring, and reconsider public access and signage around critical assets. At the policy level, it may reignite debates about how best to share threat information across jurisdictions while protecting civil liberties and due process in investigations of lone actors.

Comparison & data

The table summarizes material facts confirmed by law enforcement statements and the Times Union report. Those numbers will remain subject to revision as forensic inventories are completed and investigators catalog every item seized from the vehicle, hotel room and two Albany residences searched by the FBI and local police.

Reactions & quotes

“We learned the suspect had recently been reported missing out of New York and had communicated with family members just prior to this incident,”

Sheriff McMahill, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Context: The sheriff emphasized family notifications and messages the suspect sent in the hours before the crash, which included references to self-harm and statements suggesting he intended to make national news.

“The investigation is being headed by the FBI field office in Albany,”

Christopher Delzotto, FBI Las Vegas Field Office special agent in charge

Context: Delzotto noted coordination between FBI field offices in Las Vegas and Albany; agents executed searches in Albany homes linked to the suspect and recovered electronic devices and a 3D printer relevant to evidence collection.

“We are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of one of our law students,”

Tom Torello, spokesman, Albany Law School

Context: The law school expressed condolences and said it would not provide additional details while investigators and the family are being consulted.

Unconfirmed

• Whether the attacker was affiliated with any organized extremist group remains unconfirmed; evidence so far shows extremist-related books but no proven external command or direct group ties.
• It is not yet confirmed that the devices described as flamethrowers were functional or capable of igniting critical infrastructure equipment.
• Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether anyone beyond the driver participated in planning or execution of the incident.

Bottom line

The incident at an energy substation near Hoover Dam, which resulted in the death of a 23-year-old Albany Law student, is being treated as terrorism-related by local and federal authorities. Investigators have recovered weapons, tactical gear and literature connected to extremist ideologies, and they are using forensic analysis of a phone and other devices to establish motive and any planning timeline.

For residents and officials, the case underscores persistent vulnerabilities around distributed critical infrastructure and the investigative complexity when a suspect’s motive appears to mix personal crisis with ideological material. The FBI-led probe and continued coordination between Nevada and New York authorities will determine whether this event reflects a lone, ideologically motivated strike or another pattern requiring broader prevention efforts.

Sources

• Times Union — Regional newspaper report with law-enforcement quotes and local reporting (primary source for this piece).
• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department — Local law enforcement (agency homepage; statements and press-conference material cited).
• FBI Las Vegas Field Office — Federal investigative body referenced by officials (field office information and statements).
• Albany Law School — Academic institution (official statement quoted regarding the student).