NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A vehicle speeding toward a U.S.-Canada bridge from the American side crashed and exploded at a checkpoint in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing two people and prompting the closing of border crossings in the area, authorities said. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there was “no indication of a terrorist attack.”
The Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls remains closed until further notice while law enforcement continues their investigation.
Hochul said it wasn't clear whether the driver was intentionally heading for the Rainbow Bridge across the Niagara River when the vehicle hit a median and flew into the air.
“Based on what we know at this moment,” she said, “there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash.”
The United States Customs and Border Patrol posted video of the vehicle crashing into a checkpoint area at the Rainbow Bridge. You can see the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed before coming airborne.
Earlier, NBC confirmed two people inside the vehicle were deceased, and that senior law enforcement officials have said one Customs and Border Protection officer suffered minor injuries.
According to a witness statement, the vehicle crashed into the checkpoint structure at a high rate of speed, caught fire, and exploded. Officials said its initial search did not find a secondary explosive device or bomb in the vehicle, NBC reports.
Law enforcement officials are working to see if the incident was intentional, or what the motive was.
Niagara County officials released this statement regarding the incident:
“Niagara County officials are at the Rainbow Bridge, along with multiple state and local agencies, with appropriate resources to support the investigation of today’s car explosion. This is a federal incident and the investigation will be led by the federal government. As such, we will not be making any additional public comments, as we will defer to lead investigators so there is a single point of communication to the public and media.”
Along with local government agencies, NYS Governor Kathy Hochul released this statement shortly after the incident happened.
“I have been briefed on the situation that occurred at the Rainbow Bridge in Buffalo. At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York. I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders and will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available.”
Hochul also announced that the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is working alongside the NYS Police to monitor all points of entry to New York State.
The FBI on Wednesday night said its investigation yielded no explosive materials, "and no terrorism nexus was identified. The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference that officials were “taking this extraordinary seriously,” and the White House said President Joe Biden was “closely following developments.”
There will be message signs placed by the NYSDOT and Thruway Authority beyond WNY to westbound travelers that the border crossings to Canada in the Buffalo-Niagara area are closed for the time being.
The three other international bridges, Peace Bridge, Whirlpool and Lewiston Queenston, were closed while law enforcement investigated the incident, but they have since been reopened.
Security was increased at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport during the incident. Vehicles were searched, but the airport remained open.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
You can watch our entire coverage of the incident on the WGRZ-TV YouTube Channel