A speeding car crashed and exploded on a Niagara Falls bridge connecting the United States and Canada on Wednesday, killing the driver and his passenger in an incident that sparked fears that closed several border crossings in one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The Bentley sedan was going 100 mph when it hit a median near the checkpoint area on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge at about 11:15 a.m., flying several meters in the air and exploding in a fireball before landing in dozens of pieces, according to federal law enforcement sources.
The blast raised concerns of a possible terrorist attack on both sides of the border, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday that that had been ruled out by investigators.
“I want to be very clear to Americans and New Yorkers: At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack,” Hochul said at an evening news conference.
Investigators believe the two people in the car, a man and a woman, may have been traveling from a casino in Niagara Falls to a Kiss concert at Ontario’s Scotiabank Arena, sources said.
The driver, a western New York resident, was traveling “at a high rate of speed” when he veered into a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol barrier at a checkpoint on the U.S. side, Hochul said. and the sources.
The car never made it to the Canadian side of the border.
A Border Patrol agent who was in the checkpoint booth at the time suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital and later released, Hochul said.
Investigators, including those from the FBI and local police departments, ruled out the possibility of a car bomb, sources said.
Authorities found something in the debris on the ground that looked interesting but tested negative for explosives, the sources said.
Security camera video released by CBP showed the car zooming through an intersection, hitting a low median and then going airborne near an inspection booth, before exiting the camera’s view.
Moments later, another video, posted on X and believed to be taken from a nearby CBP building, showed a ball of flames exploding.
“If you can imagine, this vehicle was basically incinerated. There is nothing left but the engine. The pieces are spread across 13 or 14 stands,” Hochul told reporters. “So it’s a big scene and it’s going to take a long time for our federal law enforcement partners … to be able to piece together the real story to identify the brand of the car.
“Obviously, no tuition.”
The explosion prompted the closure of four border crossings in the area, including the Rainbow Bridge and three others between western New York and Ontario, Canada, which were closed as a precaution and were expected to reopen later Wednesday . It was unclear when the Rainbow Bridge would reopen.
Buffalo-Niagara International Airport was closed to all departing and arriving international flights, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on its website.
Airport officials said arriving cars will undergo “security checks” and told passengers to expect “additional screenings”.
Immediately after the explosion, both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Biden said they had been informed and were following developments.
Witness Mike Guenther said he saw the vehicle accelerate into the crossing, with the driver swerving to avoid another car before hitting the barrier.
“All of a sudden, it went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high.” Guenther told WGRZ-TV. “I never saw anything like it.”
Niagara Falls guide Rickie Wilson first thought he saw a plane when he looked near his parked car nearby.
“It looked like slow motion,” he told the Associated Press. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s a car. It’s a vehicle and it flies through the air’”.
New York State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said they were monitoring the situation, with the latter saying that the motives and identities of the people involved were unclear.
“At this time, our thoughts and concerns are with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, Canada Border Patrol agents, members of law enforcement and their families,” Ortt wrote.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said NYPD officers had been dispatched “to support efforts on the ground.”
The Big Apple was already under “enhanced security” because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Adams said, and “the public will see increased security at locations in New York City, including points entry and exit into and out of the city.”
The bridge sees thousands of vehicles cross each day, with more than 2,000 entering the US yesterday, according to statistics published by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
A total of 50,000 people have crossed into the US using the bridge in November since yesterday, and many more are expected today, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The bridge is less than a mile from the famous falls.
Additional reporting by Nolan Hicks and Larry Celona
With post cables
English 
Español de Venezuela