A speeding car crashed and exploded on the Niagara Falls bridge connecting the US and Canada on Wednesday — killing the driver and passenger in a frightening incident that closed several border crossings on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The Bentley sedan was going up to 100 mph when it crashed into the median near the checkpoint on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge at about 11:15 a.m. — flying several feet into the air and exploding into a ball of fire before landing in dozens of pieces, sources said. federal law enforcement.
The blast raised fears of a possible terrorist attack on both sides of the border, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said last Wednesday that had been ruled out by investigators.
“I want to be very clear to the American people and New Yorkers: at this time, there are no signs of a terrorist attack,” Hochul said at an afternoon press conference.
The scene of a reported car explosion on the Rainbow Bridge. Flames and smoke were seen coming out of the vehicle.
Investigators believe the two people in the car, a man and a woman, may have been heading from a casino in Niagara Falls to a Kiss concert at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, sources said.
The driver, a Western New York resident, was traveling “at a high rate of speed” when he swerved into a US Customs and Border Patrol barrier at a checkpoint on the US side, Hochul and sources said.
The car never made it to the Canadian border.
A Border Patrol officer who was at the checkpoint at the time suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital and later released, Hochul said.
Investigators, including 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 it tested negative for explosives, sources said.
Fire rages after an explosion at the [email protected] via Storyful Flames shoot into the sky after an explosion at the Rainbow [email protected] via Storyful Law enforcement officers block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge.Robert Bennett
Security camera video released by CBP shows the car zooming through an intersection, crashing into a low median and then flying into the air near a checkpoint, before disappearing from the camera’s view.
Moments later, another video — posted to X and believed to have been taken from a nearby CBP building — showed a fireball exploding.
“If you can imagine, this vehicle was basically set on fire. Nothing left but the engine. The pieces are scattered in 13, 14 stalls,” Hochul told reporters. “So, it’s a big scene and it’s going to take a lot of time for our federal law enforcement partners … to be able to piece together the real story to identify the make of the car.
As a result of a car explosion near the Rainbow Bridge.Facebook/Jersey Coast Emergency News Car parts are sitting on the road.Faceboook/FBNY The explosion caused the closure of four border crossings in the area.Robert Bennett
“Obviously, no license plate.”
The explosion caused 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 late Wednesday. It is unclear when the Rainbow Bridge will reopen.
Buffalo-Niagara International Airport is closed to all departing and arriving international flights, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on its website.
A piece of a car can be seen after crashing into a border crossing hut.Faceboook/FBNY
Airport officials said arriving cars would undergo “security checks” and told passengers to expect “additional checks.”
Immediately after the blast, both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Biden said they had been briefed and were following the developments.
Witness Mike Guenther said he saw the vehicle speeding toward the intersection, with the driver swerving to avoid another car before hitting the barrier.
Fire damage can be seen on the customs plaza structure at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing. AP Debris is scattered in the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing. AP Buffalo-Niagara International Airport said cars will undergo “security checks” and “additional inspections.”Robert Bennett
“All of a sudden, he went up in the air and then it was a 30 or 40 foot fireball,” Guenther told WGRZ-TV. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Niagara Falls tour guide Rickie Wilson first thought he saw an airplane when he looked up near his parked car.
“It looks like slow motion,” he told the Associated Press. “I said, ‘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 the motives and identities of the people involved remained unclear.
“At this time, our thoughts and concerns are with US Customs and Border Protection agents, Canada Border Services agents, law enforcement personnel and their families,” Ortt wrote.
Law enforcement personnel block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday.AP The Rainbow Bridge crossing overlooks Niagara Falls and connects the US and Canada.Google Earth
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said NYPD officers had been dispatched “to support efforts on the ground.”
The Big Apple is already under “heightened security” because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Adams said, and “people will see increased security at locations throughout New York City, including entrances and exits 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 posted by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
A total of 50,000 had crossed into the US using the bridge in November, as of yesterday, with more expected today, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The bridge is located less than a mile from the famous waterfall.
Additional reporting by Nolan Hicks and Larry Celona
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
