The FBI announced Wednesday night that it had finished its investigation into the airborne car crash at the Rainbow International Bridge in Niagara Falls and concluded there was no terrorism involved.
The agency’s Buffalo field office said that no explosive materials were found on the scene and that it had turned the investigation over to Niagara Falls Police as a traffic investigation.
#NEW Statement from #FBI Buffalo regarding the investigation at Rainbow Bridge: pic.twitter.com/4lwvq8PsAe
— FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) November 23, 2023
A driver and a passenger, identified by sources as a husband and wife, were killed when the car — traveling at a high rate of speed — hit a curb and went airborne before slamming into a concrete pillar at the bridge’s border patrol station and burst into flames, as CrimeOnline reported. The two people were killed. A border patrol agent was injured but was treated and released at a nearby hospital.
The bridge and three other Niagara River crossings into Canada were closed immediately after the crash, but the other three were later reopened.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said late Wednesday afternoon that investigators had uncovered no indication of terrorism.
Investigators told CNN that the couple in the car had plans to attend a KISS concert in Canada but went to a casino in the United States when the concert was cancelled. The crash happened after the couple left the casino.
Niagara Falls police acknowledged that it was now conducting the crash investigation and said the identities of the victims would be released when next of kin notifications were complete.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: In this photo taken from security video, a light colored vehicle, top left, travels toward the Rainbow Bridge customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Customs Border Protection via AP)]
