Niagara Falls bridge crash.Photo:CBP/X

New York Couple Dies After Vehicle Explosion on Niagara Falls Bridge; No Sign of Terrorism

CBP/X

Thecar that crashed at a high speed and explodedat the U.S.-Canada border crossing near Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Wednesday, killing both passengers inside, had no link to terrorism, the FBI said Wednesday night.

“A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified,” the agencysaid in a statement. “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”

The fiery crash happened just before 11:30 a.m. local time on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge amid one of the busiest travel days of the year,NBC Newsreported.

CNNreported that the victims were a married couple traveling in a Bentley when the vehicle struck a curb at the checkpoint before hitting a guardrail that sent the car into the air and into a screening area before it blew up.

John Normile/Getty

A sign indicates that all bridges between the U.S. and Canada are closed after a car crashed and exploded at The Rainbow Bridge on November 22, 2023 in Niagara Falls, New York. According to reports, the two occupants of the car died when their car crashed near a border checkpoint. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

According to the report, the explosive crash led to a temporary shutdown of all four bridges between Canada and the U.S. near Niagara Falls, three of which later reopened, but the Rainbow Bridge remains closed.

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A toll booth worker was injured in the crash and was treated at a hospital and later released, Hochul noted.

According to CNN, investigators believe the man driving the Bentley planned to attend a KISS concert in Canada, but after it was canceled, he went to a casino in the U.S. instead. The crash then happened after the pair, who have yet to be identified, left the casino.

Though Hochul sought to calm fears, saying there had been “no indication” of terrorism, there were still “a lot of unanswered questions,” per CNN. She noted that it remained unclear whether the crash was an accident or intentional.

Randie Wilson, a Niagara Falls tour guide who witnessed the incident, toldCBS Newsthat at first she thought the car was an “airplane.” She added, “I said, ‘My God, it’s a car.'”

source: people.com