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Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two people dead in vehicle blast
The cause of Wednesday’s Rainbow Bridge vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now probing whether a mechanical failure could be to blame.
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple, identified on Friday as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.
Dramatic footage captured the vehicle speeding up before it hit a curb on the US side of the border, became airborne and then combusted, killing the pair inside.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack but New York Governor Kathy Hochul and FBI officials later said there was “no sign of terrorist activity”.
Instead, law enforcement sources told CNN that the victims were a local New York man and his wife, who have not been named, who were planning to attend a KISS concert in Canada on Wednesday night.
The gig was cancelled and so they stopped by the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino before the vehicle made the ill-fated trip towards the US-Canada border crossing.
WATCH: Surveillance footage shows car speeding moments before explosion
Rainbow Bridge: Surveillance footage shows car speeding moments before explosion
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 14:00
The cause of the Rainbow Bridge blast remains something of a mystery, with investigators now exploring whether a mechanical failure in the car could be to blame.
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.
However, a spokesperson for the American arm of Bentley Motors told the paper that the automaker was yet to hear from investigators about the incident.
Whatever the cause, getting to the bottom of what happened could take time as the car was effectively incinerated in the fireball blast.
On Thursday, Niagara Falls Police Department – which is now leading the investigation after the FBI found no signs of terrorism – carried out an accident reconstruction, including retracing the last known movements of the couple.
In a press conference on Wednesday evening, Ms Hochul said she would not go so far as to declare the blast an “accident” just yet as the probe continues but that the two people killed were local residents with no ties to terrorism. No other potential motive had been discovered.
“I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers, at this time there is no indication of a terrorist attack,” Ms Hochul said.
She added: “Based on what is happening in the world, everyone is on edge. This is an international border. I won’t call it an accident yet. All we know is there was a horrific incident, a crash, a loss of life – but at this time: no known terrorism activity.”
The FBI’s Buffalo division also released a statement saying that no explosives had been found at the scene and that “no terrorism nexus was identified”.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 13:00
At 11.50am ET, the Rainbow Bridge was closed due to a “traffic event”, according to an incident alert from the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition.
Witness Mike Guenther told NBC affiliate WGRZ-TV that he had been walking on the bridge when he saw a speeding car approach the border checkpoint, hit a fence and go airborne before exploding.
Another witness told reporters that he had seen the vehicle catch fire, before seeing black smoke and flames.
Ambulances arrived soon afterward to find the vehicle completely burned out. Two individuals travelling in the car died, officials said.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 12:00
Mystery as investigators probe possible cause of Rainbow Bridge crash
The cause of the Rainbow Bridge deadly vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now exploring whether a mechanical failure in the car could be to blame.
Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, were killed on Wednesday when their speeding Bentley rammed into the border crossing along Niagara Falls, which connects the US and Canada.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack, prompting Canadian and US officials to briefly close all four border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.
Hours later, the FBI Buffalo office and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that there were no signs that the incident was terror-related.
Now, two days on, investigators are still working to piece together what caused the deadly crash which has left the couple’s upstate New York community of Grand Island in mourning.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 11:00
A message from the family
Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani were identified on Friday as the victims of the crash.
Online records revealed that the family owns Gui’s Lumber, a business that spans locations across western New York.
“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all that extended prayers, condolences and well wishes,” the families and the lumber company said in a joint statement released by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office on Friday. “At this point, we are requesting privacy so we may begin the process of healing.”
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 10:00
Gov Kathy Hochul said she initially thought the crash was AI-generated
At a press conference earlier this week, the governor said, “You actually had to look at it and say, was this generated by AI?”
“Because it was so surreal to see. How high in the air this vehicle went, and then the crash, and the explosion, and the fire,” she explained.
She and the FBI have ruled out that the incident was a terrorist act. The investigation into the cause is ongoing.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 09:00
ICYMI: What we know about the Rainbow Bridge crash
Two people, Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, died after a vehicle exploded at a US-Canadaborder crossing at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, on Wednesday 22 November.
The car was attempting to enter Canada from the United States when it sped toward a checkpoint, crashed into a fence and erupted “into a fireball” just before midday, according to witnesses.
Video footage and photos showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from the checkpoint, and a security booth that had been charred by flames.
The blast killed two, reportedly injured one Border Patrol officer and led to the closure of four border crossings between the US and Canada in New York state.
Within hours, investigators had ruled out that the car had been carrying explosives or was connected to terrorism.
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 08:00
Tributes pour in after Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani died in the crash
The husband and wife were members of Niagara Sailing Club on Grand Island, the club’s treasurer Scott Henderson told NBC-affiliate-WGRZ.
“Not only were people talking but then I made an announcement and some people were just incredibly shocked,” he said.
“It’s just not only a younger couple like that, but so ingrained and influential in this community.”
The couple’s friend Chuck Meyer also revealed his shock when he learned that the tragedy broadcast on national news involved those close to him.
“I got home yesterday (Wednesday). I didn’t know anything other than hearing things on the news about the border, and then saw that their driveway was filled up with all these cars,” he told the local outlet on Thursday.
“I thought, ‘Oh, they’re having Christmas or Thanksgiving early, and like, that’s really nice.’ And then about an hour later, heard the news and I’m like, ‘oh my God.’”
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 05:00
Who were the two people killed in the blast?
Law enforcement sources told CNN on Wednesday night that the Rainbow Bridge crash is believed to have involved a local New York individual and a passenger who had planned to attend a KISS concert in Toronto, Canada.
The concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman, Paul Stanley, falling ill with the flu.
Police identified the couple on Friday as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, both 53; they lived in Grand Island, New York. They are survived by two children, according to an obiturary for the husband’s father.
The Villanis own Gui’s Lumber, a business with eight locations across western New York.
In a statement to CBC, the business wrote: “We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all that [have] extended prayers, condolences and well wishes. We are deeply touched. At this point, we would request privacy so we may begin the process of healing.”
Kelly Rissman25 November 2023 04:00
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