Two people were killed in an explosion at the Canadian border where an “airborne” car crashed into a checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, officials said.
So far, there are no immediate signs of terrorism, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters.
“At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack,” she said. “Let me repeat that: At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist-involved attack here at the Rainbow Bridge in Western New York.”
The two people who were killed were in the car that crashed, and at least one of them was from western New York.
The car, which officials have said was traveling at a high rate of speed, was on the U.S. side of the border when it crashed, caught fire and exploded, contrary to some early reports that the vehicle had come from Canada.
Hochul said she’s seen video of the car that was going at an “extraordinarily high rate of speed” before it went flying in an “absolutely surreal” scene.
“When you see this video, your jaw will drop in disbelief at how this went so high, over an 8-foot-high fence,” she said.
Rickie Wilson, who works for Gray Line Tours, couldn’t believe his eyes when he spotted the “airborne” vehicle. He said it appeared the car struck a cement median before it went flying.
“I first thought it was an airplane. Looked like slow motion,” Wilson told Rochester NBC affiliate WHEC. “And I said, ‘My God, it’s a car and it’s a vehicle and it’s flying through the air.’ ”
The witness estimated the car was 10 to 15 feet in the air.
“I mean how did it get up there? I mean this thing was up in the air,” Wilson told reporters. “I know it sounds like I’m crazy, but the car was airborne and not three or four feet, I mean it was up there.”
A Customs and Border Protection employee suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a hospital, a law enforcement official said. Hochul said the employee was working in the booth and “the booth literally protected that individual.”
“This vehicle basically incinerated,” Hochul said. “Nothing is left but the engine. The pieces are scattered over 13, 14 booths.”
An initial search did not find a secondary explosive or device, the law enforcement officials said, noting this was preliminary information.
Authorities are investigating whether the crash was intentional.
Hochul at a news conference called the incident “a horrific accident that led to a high-level anxiety all the way from western New York to Albany, to Washington.”
It occurred on one of the busiest travel days in the United States, when people across the country will be hitting the road for the Thanksgiving holiday.
All western New York bridge crossings into the U.S. were shut down following the incident, the Erie County executive said shortly after the crash, but Hochul later said all bridges had been reopened.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said security has been increased and the “city is on heightened alert due to the upcoming holiday.”
The White House was also closely monitoring the situation, an official said. The Canada Border Services Agency said it was “liaising with our U.S. counterparts on this matter.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that “at this time, there is no indication of a threat related to this incident” and that he has been in contact with Hochul and Canadian officials.
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said it would be increasing security systemwide.
Travelers at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport should expect additional screenings and vehicles coming into the airport will undergo security checks, it said.
“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 in a post on X.
Amtrak said Wednesday that its Maple Leaf Train from New York City to Toronto would terminate at Niagara Falls because of the incident on the bridge.
Ken Dilanian, Jay Blackman, David K. Li, Madison Lambert and Phil Helsel contributed.
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