It happened on one of the busiest travel days in the U.S. as people across the country hit the road for Thanksgiving, and as there was a heightened awareness due to the holiday.
The White House closely monitored developments, an official said, and the Department of Homeland Security said it was in touch with Canadian counterparts.
“A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified,” the FBI in Buffalo said in a statement. “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”“A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified,” the FBI in Buffalo said in a statement. “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”
One of the people killed was from western New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Wednesday evening.In a statement on Thursday morning, the Niagara Falls Police Department said the identity of those involved is pending notification of relatives.The department also thanked local business partners, including the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, for their assistance in the investigation. According to a statement from the casino, the car stopped there for “a matter of minutes shortly before the crash occurred.”
The vehicle, 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 it had come from Canada.
Hochul said she has seen video of the car, which was going at an “extraordinarily high rate of speed” before it went flying in an “absolutely surreal” scene. She said the car crashed into a median and struck a border crossing booth.
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.
She stressed at the Wednesday evening news conference that there were no indications of terrorism.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 NBC affiliate WHEC of Rochester. “And I said, ‘My God, it’s a car, and it’s a vehicle, and it’s flying through the air.'”
He estimated the car was 10 to 15 feet in the air.
Hochul said the incident was “a horrific accident that led to a high-level anxiety all the way from western New York to Albany to Washington.”All western New York bridge crossings into the U.S. were shut down, the Erie County executive said shortly after the crash. Hochul later said all bridges had been reopened.This vehicle basically incinerated. Nothing is left but the engine,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.