Investigators identified the couple who died in Wednesday’s crash at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing as Kurt P. Villani and Monica Villani.
The Villanis were from Grand Island, and both were 53, Niagara Falls Police said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Villanis vehicle, traveling at a high rate of speed, hit a curb and went airborne at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The car exploded on impact with a US Customs and Border Protection booth at the bridge.
The bridge, and three other border crossings over the Niagara River, were closed in the aftermath of the crash, but the other three reopened a few hours later. The Rainbow Bridge reopened Thursday evening.
The FBI announced late Wednesday it had found no evidence of terrorism in the crash and that Niagara Falls Police had taken over the investigation. The local police said they were still investigating.
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[Featured image: In this image taken from security video, a light colored vehicle, top center, flies over a fence into the Rainbow Bridge customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Customs Border Protection via AP)]
