Authorities in the US and Canada have ruled out terrorism after a speeding car crashed in flames on the bridge linking New York state and Ontario at Niagara Falls, killing two people in the car and leading to a security alert that closed four US–Canadian border crossings.
Hours later federal and state authorities said investigators had found no evidence of an act of terror, though circumstances surrounding the crash on the Rainbow Bridge remained unclear, leaving it to be determined whether it was accidental or intentional.
"At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack" or threat to the public at large, New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters. Her comments were echoed by federal and local law enforcement officials at a separate news conference.
The FBI said in a statement it had concluded its investigation. "A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified," the FBI said in a post on X.
#NEW Statement from #FBI Buffalo regarding the investigation at Rainbow Bridge: pic.twitter.com/4lwvq8PsAe
— FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) November 23, 2023
Video of the crash caught on security camera and posted to X by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency showed the car travelling from the US side at high speed, then hitting an object and flying into the air before crashing to the ground and exploding in flames.
The driver and a passenger died in the crash, and a CBP officer suffered minor injuries. He was treated at a nearby hospital and released, an agency official said later.
Authorities did not identify the two people killed. CNN reported the driver was a 56-year-old man who was travelling in a Bentley automobile with his wife to attend a concert by the rock group, KISS.
A performance of the band scheduled for Tuesday in Toronto as part of the group's farewell tour was cancelled after one of its members, Paul Stanley, came down with the flu.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on itswebsite the Buffalo Niagara International Airport had closed, but Ms Hochul said there were no interruptions
'Heightened alert'
The crash unfolded at a time of heightened security concerns around the world stemming from the conflict in the Middle East and at the peak of US holiday travel on the eve of Thanksgiving celebrations.
The Rainbow Bridge and all three other border crossings along the Niagara River between western New York and southern Ontario - the Peace Bridge, the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the Whirlpool Bridge - were shut for several hours afterward as a precaution.
Other international crossings remained open on "heightened alert status," according to the governor.
Security measures were escalated at other airports and railways managed by the Niagara-Frontier Transit Authority, as well as at various locations around New York City, officials said.
The three bridges that were not involved were reopened early yesteday evening, but the Rainbow crossing remained closed during the continuing investigation and as officials assessed the crossing's safety.
Ms Hochul said the car that crashed sailed over an 2.4m fence before landing and exploding, leaving little but the engine visibly intact and scattering debris over more than a dozen security booths on the bridge.
Eyewitness Mike Guenther told Buffalo television station WGRZ-TV that he was walking near the bridge with his wife when the car, travelling from the US side at high speed, struck a fence at the crossing and was catapulted into the air before exploding.
"He was flying, over 100 miles an hour," said Mr Guenther, who was visiting from Kitchener, Ontario. He said the vehicle, which he described as a luxury sedan, was "fish-tailing" out of control before it crashed.
"It was a ball of fire, 30 or 40 feet high, never seen anything like it," said Mr Guenther.
