NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A horrific video has surfaced showing the deadly moment when a car driving from the American side toward a US-Canada bridge crashed and exploded at a Niagara Falls checkpoint on November 22.
The terrifying crash occurred after a speeding Bentley struck a fence and a curb, launching it into the air and a secondary screening area. The vehicle then crashed through an eight-foot barrier before erupting into a blaze that killed a 56-year-old man and his wife.
The victims, who haven’t been identified yet, are believed to be from Grand Island, NY, both in their 50s, who owned several businesses in western New York, according to Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls.
Initial investigation indicates that the couple had been traveling over the border to attend a Kiss concert in Toronto on Wednesday. But, due to vocalist Paul Stanley's illness with the flu, the show was canceled earlier in the day.
Instead, according to CNN, the two went to a casino close to the border. The crash then occurred when the couple left the casino in their Bentley.
The Seneca Nation, the owners and operators of the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, declared that they were assisting law authorities in examining and providing any data pertaining to the car that was involved in the crash.
Video reveals horrific details of Rainbow Bridge crash
Following the collision, which raised concerns about a potential terror assault on the United States, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated late on Wednesday that the event was only traffic-related
Hochul declared that it was a miracle that there weren't more injuries after watching the horrifying video of the crash's enormous flames. In a dramatic video, the speeding car is shown smashing into a curb, taking off through the air, and landing in a border police screening area before catching fire.
Additionally, a Border Patrol agent had suffered minor injuries as the result of the crash and received urgent treatment at a nearby hospital.
"[There is] no indication based on online threats or anyone taking credit for this - at this time,": said Hochul, according to the Sun, adding "It's still unfolding. But I didn't want to leave the public with any uncertainty,” she continued.
In a statement, the FBI's Buffalo division stated that "no terrorism nexus was identified" and that no explosives had been discovered at the scene
The investigation has since been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation, the bureau said.
Close ones mourn the couple’s death
Rainbow Bridge crash victims’ close ones have described them as “kind friends” who were “influential in this community." "Not only were people talking, but then I made an announcement, and some people were just incredibly shocked. It's just not only a younger couple like that, but so ingrained and influential in this community." Scott Henderson, treasurer of Niagara Sailing Club told WGRZ.
The couple’s neighbor and close friend, Chuck Meyer mourned their death, saying, "I got home yesterday (Wednesday). Before seeing that their driveway was full of automobiles, all I knew about the border was what I had heard about on the news. It struck me as rather pleasant that they were celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas early. After hearing the news an hour or so later, I was like, 'Oh my God'."
Mary Meyer described the couple as very good neighbors and kind friends. "It's shock and devastation and it's just gut-wrenching really, really. They were so loved," Meyer said, adding, "They were so generous and kind and always willing to help."
