A high-speed car crashed and exploded on a bridge at the Niagara Falls, connecting the USA and Canada this Wednesday, killing the driver and their passenger in an incident that sparked fear and closed several border crossings.
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According to federal police sources, the Bentley sedan was traveling at speeds up to 100 km/h when it collided with a control area on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge around 11:15 – it flew several meters in the air and exploded into a fireball before landing in dozens of pieces.
The explosion raised concerns of a possible terrorist attack on both sides of the border, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated on Wednesday that this had been ruled out by investigators.
Investigators suspect that the $300,000 Bentley may have suffered a mechanical failure, according to the local mayor.
The FBI confirmed a few hours after the fire, which concluded their own investigation, that they found “no explosive material and no terrorist connection.”
It is now being investigated as a “traffic investigation” by the Niagara Falls Police Department – believing it was likely the driver experiencing a medical incident or a car malfunction, sources told The Buffalo News.
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino also told The New York Times that investigators are focusing on a possible mechanical failure that caused it to accelerate to at least 100 km/h before jumping a fence and colliding with a border crossing cabin.
The husband and wife in the car – who have not yet been formally identified – were on their way to see the Kiss concert in Toronto, a show that was canceled when vocalist Paul Stanley fell ill.
The couple was around 50 years old and owned several businesses in western New York, where they lived in a small community on Grand Island in the state of New York.
Video: Instagram @sal.alwishah / Rainbow Bridge security footage