Two dead in Niagara car explosion that closed US-Canada border crossings as FBI investigates

New York governor says that there was ‘no sign of terrorism’ in violent explosion

New York’s governor says that there is “no sign of terrorism” in the violent vehicle explosion that left two people dead and injured a border guard at the Rainbow Bridge crossing between the United States and Canada in New York near Niagara Falls.

Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that there was no evidence of any terror planning and that an investigation would continue to look into what happened.

“This vehicle basically incinerated, there is nothing left but the engine. it is going to take a long time for our federal law enforcement partners to piece together the real story,” she told a press conference and said no threats had been made against the region. “The pieces are scattered over 13, 14 booths so it is a large scene.

“Based on what we know at this moment there is no sign of terrorist activity. This is a local individual. It’s a Western New York resident who was most likely in that vicinity prior to the high speed, high rate of speed, extraordinarily high rate of speed that led to the crash into the median that sent the vehicle airborne.”

She added: “We need to dial down the temperature, all is well, we are still investigating but based on the preliminary investigation there is no sign of terrorism in this horrific explosion.”

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia also told reporters that there was no indication of terrorism.

“We do have someone in mind for it and we’re working through it through the JTTF,” he said in reference to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

“We do not have any derogatory information on this person that we’ve identified, we’re scanning his social media, there’s nothing there, we’re still running a full investigation so that’s a preliminary assessment,” Agent Miraglia said. “We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, there’s no larger picture here to look at for now.”

Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls (AP)

Instead, investigators believe the crash involved a local New York man and his wife who had ill-fated plans to attend a KISS concert over the border in Canada on Wednesay night.

The couple, who have not been identified but are said to live in western New York, were travelling in their speeding Bentley when the car rammed into the crossing, law enforcement sources told CNN.

The sources said that the couple were planning to cross the border to go to a KISS concert in Toronto that night. But, the concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman Paul Stanley being taken ill with flu.

The pair instead headed to a casino not far from the border, CNN reported – with the crash then unfolding when the couple left the casino in their Bentley.

Surveillance footage captured the vehicle driving at high speed and exploded as it crashed near a security checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge crossing on Wednesday morning.

The car became airborne during the incident and crashed into a cement pillar. A suitcase was found near the vehicle but did not contain any explosives, officials told The New York Times.

A 27-year-old Border Patrol agent was taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital with minor back pain and minor cuts, according to Fox News.

Video showed black smoke billowing from the scene of the crash, while debris could be seen scattered inside the customs plaza where an inspection booth was completely destroyed.

The Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge, and Rainbow Bridge were all also closed in both directions at the request of US officials. Later on Wednesday all of the bridges apart from the Rainbow Bridge were reopened to traffic.

Eye witness Mike Guenther told WGRZ-TV that he saw a vehicle speeding towards the US border crossing when it swerved to avoid another vehicle, crashed into a fence and exploded.

“All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high,” Mr Guenther told the station. “I never saw anything like it.”

Earlier, City of Niagara officials said that the incident involved a vehicle trying to enter the US, with the FBI Field Office in Buffalo describing the incident as an “explosion.”

While terrorism is believed to have been ruled out, it remains unclear whether the crash was intentional or accidental – with investigators said to be probing the possibility that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency.

The Rainbow Bridge connects the US and Canadian cities of Niagara Falls and is located less than a mile from the famed waterfalls themselves.

Law enforcement personnel block off the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (AP)

“As this situation is very fluid, that’s all we can say at this time,” the FBI Buffalo office said on X.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority increased security systemwide. Travellers at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport underwent additional screenings, while vehicles were put through extra security checks.

“The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Airports are fully operational. We advise travelers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel,” the agency said on X.

The airport was closed to international arrivals for several hours before being re-opened.

Amtrak temporarily suspended rail services between the US and Canada, while police in Toronto have increased patrols in the city out of “an abundance of caution.”

Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two dead in Rainbow Bridge blast (Reuters)

The White House “is closely monitoring the situation and law enforcement is on-scene and investigating,” a White House official told The Independent

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been briefed by Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor on the situation.

“We are in contact with the US Officials. The Minister of Public Safety, RCMP and CBSA are fully engaged and providing all necessary support,” the prime minister’s statement read.

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, told reporters it was too early to speculate on the explosion.

#FBI Buffalo statement on investigation at the Rainbow Bridge: pic.twitter.com/jRaGLL8sU8

— FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) November 22, 2023

“Obviously any time a piece of infrastructure as important as a border crossing sees violent circumstances it is a cause of concern for the government of Canada and the United States,” he said.

“Until we have more accurate information it is not responsible (to speculate).”

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo has announced that it was closing until after Thanksgiving “Out of an abundance of caution” at the advice of police.