The victims of a fatal car crash at a northern border checkpoint in Western New York Wednesday have been identified as Kurt Villani and his wife Monica, authorities said.
Kurt Villani was behind the wheel of a speeding Bentley sedan when it went airborne and crashed into a row of stalls before bursting into flames on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday morning.
He and his wife, both 53 years old and from Grand Island, New York, were killed instantly.
The explosion initially led to fears of a possible terrorist attack, but federal and state authorities dismissed it hours later.
“An examination of the scene revealed no explosives, and no terrorist connections were identified,” the Buffalo FBI office said in a statement late Wednesday.
The investigation is now in the hands of the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.
The investigation into the crash, which also injured a Border Patrol officer, is expected to “take some time to complete” due to the “complexity of the incident,” Niagara Falls police said in a news release.
The car caught fire following a fatal accident. via REUTERS
Investigators believe the couple may have been heading from the Niagara Falls casino to a Kiss concert in Toronto – which was later canceled – before the crash, according to sources.
The operator of the casino, Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, in a statement today said it is cooperating with authorities.
“We have reviewed and provided information regarding the vehicle that stopped at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino just minutes before the crash occurred,” the Seneca Nation said in a statement, according to the Buffalo News.
The crash closed the Rainbow Bridge and three other bridges connecting Western New York and Ontario on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Security video released by US Customs and Border Patrol shows the car zooming through an intersection and crashing into a low median before flying near a checkpoint.
The crash happened out of view of the camera.
“If you can imagine, this vehicle was basically set on fire. Nothing left but the engine. The pieces are scattered across 13, 14 stalls,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday.
Witness Rickie Wilson was near his parked car when he turned and saw the car in the air.
“I first thought it was an airplane. It looked like slow motion,” said the Niagara Falls tour guide. “I said, ‘Oh my God, it’s a car. It’s a vehicle, and it’s flying through the air.'”
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
