Possible Cause Revealed for $300K Car Explosion on US-Canadian Border
Investigators believe a mechanical failure could have been behind the Wednesday morning vehicle explosion at a U.S.-Canada border crossing in New York.
The Niagara Falls Police Department is looking into whether the vehicle malfunctioned when it slammed into a barrier at the Rainbow Bridge crossing and burst into flames, the New York Post reported.
“We’re investigating every issue,” Superintendent John Faso said.
Another possibility is that the driver of the vehicle had a medical episode, although Faso said that for now there is “no confirmation of that.”
Faso also confirmed that the vehicle was a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur, a model that the Post said goes for $300,000.
Footage shows the aftermath of the explosion near the Rainbow Bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls, New York.
Follow developments: https://t.co/38enM4l8q8 pic.twitter.com/B33arE6hZH
— ABC News (@ABC) November 22, 2023
The passengers of the vehicle have been identified as 53-year-old Grand Island, New York, residents Kurt and Monica Villani. Both were killed in the accident.
The explosion happened around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday after the couple departed from a Niagara Falls casino and headed toward Canada. They were reportedly on their way to a KISS concert in Toronto.
Traveling at “a very high rate of speed,” according to Gov. Kathy Hochul, their vehicle hit a median and flew through the air before striking a Border Patrol checkpoint booth and exploding.
BREAKING: Video released by CBP shows vehicle airborne before U.S.-Canada border crash pic.twitter.com/2pJuRkZOGm
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 22, 2023
A Border Patrol worker in the booth incurred minor injuries, The New York Times reported.
The explosion gave rise to speculation of a possible terror attack.
As a precaution, authorities closed three other bridges linking the U.S. and Canada and shut down Buffalo Niagara International Airport to incoming and outgoing international flights.
Officials, including Hochul, soon confirmed that the explosion was not related to terrorism, with the FBI referring the incident to local police as a “traffic investigation.”
“On Thursday,” the Times reported, “the police department’s accident reconstruction team was tracing the couple’s journey from [the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino] downtown to the border crossing.”
A spokesman for the casino said the Villanis were there for just a few minutes.
The investigation is ongoing and “will take some time to complete,” Faso said.
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