Kathy Hochul says there is ‘no indications of terror attack’ at Canada border – as new footage shows speeding car hit reservation and soar through the air before exploding: Two killed including ‘driver who was casino player who crossed border to gamble’


A dramatic car crash on the US-Canada border was not a terror attack, the governor of New York said on Wednesday evening – urging calm ‘at a time of such high anxiety’.

Two people were killed when the car rammed into the US side of the border-crossing at high speed on Wednesday morning, closing the bridge on the eve of Thanksgiving – one of the busiest travel days of the year.

The pair were a husband, 56, and wife, driving a $300,000 Bentley, who were by the border for a Kiss concert in Ottawa on Tuesday night, CNN‘s John Miller reported.

The concert was cancelled due to band member Paul Stanley getting the flu. The couple then went to the Seneca Niagara casino instead, WIBV reported. 

Kathy Hochul told a press conference on Wednesday evening the footage of fireball on Rainbow Bridge near Niagara was shocking, and it was miraculous that there were not more injuries.

But she urged calm, saying the two victims were believed to be local people and there was no indication of terrorism. 

The driver was a frequent face at the casino, and often crossed the border, The New York Times reported. 

No explosives were found in the car, according to police sources. 

The pale-colored car, which CNN reported was a Bentley, is seen top right flying over the fence before it exploded

The car hit a fence and erupted into a '40 foot fireball' which left the 'car pieces everywhere'

The car hit a fence and erupted into a ’40 foot fireball’ which left the ‘car pieces everywhere’

Officers with the NYPD were sent to assist the unfolding situation in Buffalo, New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed

Officers with the NYPD were sent to assist the unfolding situation in Buffalo, New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, is seen on Wednesday night giving an update about the crash

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, is seen on Wednesday night giving an update about the crash

One agent with Customs and Border Patrol suffered minor injuries in the crash. He was treated in hospital and has been released. 

Asked how they had determined that it was not a terror attack, Hochul said: ‘No indication based on online threats or anyone taking credit for this – at this time.

She added: ‘It’s still unfolding. But I didn’t want to leave the public with any uncertainty.

‘There is no evidence at this time that there was terror activity.’

She said she appreciated the anxiety, and the assumption that it was a terror attack. 

‘Based on what is happening in the world, everyone is on edge. This is an international border,’ she said.

‘I won’t call it an accident yet. All we know is there was a horrific incident, a crash, a loss of life – but at this time: no known terrorism activity.’

The FBI Special Agent-in-Charge, Matthew Miraglia, echoed Hochul.

 ‘We do have someone in mind for it and we’re working through it through the JTTF,’ he said – a reference to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

‘We do not have any derogatory information on this person that we’ve identified, we’re scanning his social media, there’s nothing there, we’re still running a full investigation so that’s a preliminary assessment. 

‘We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, there’s no larger picture here to look at for now.’

Trini Ross, the US Attorney for the Western District of New York, said their initial investigation determined the incident ‘was not terrorism-related’ at this stage.

‘But we will continue to stay vigilant,’ said Ross, saying that people should ‘lower their heightened sensitivities knowing that we do not believe this was a terrorist event.’

Hochul said she wanted to ‘dial back the anxiety’.

The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the blast, and investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also responding to the scene

The FBI’s field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the blast, and investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also responding to the scene

The explosion on Tuesday claimed the lives of the vehicle's two occupants and shut down three other bridges between western New York and Ontario

The explosion on Tuesday claimed the lives of the vehicle’s two occupants and shut down three other bridges between western New York and Ontario

‘There are still a lot of unanswered questions,’ she said.

‘But at this time, we just needed to dial down the temperature.

‘We are investigating, but at this time there is no sign of terrorist activity.’

She said the footage of the crash was ‘extraordinary’.

‘It’s a Western New York resident who was in the city prior to the high speed crash into the median that sent the vehicle airborne,’ she said.

‘It will leave you in disbelief how it went so high over an eight foot fence. It’s quite extraordinary.’

She added: ‘The fact that other people and vehicles were not damaged… It was a very congested area.

‘Thank God no one else was injured.’

The White House confirmed the president has been briefed on the incident, while Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said that ‘additional measures’ were being contemplated and activated at border crossings across his country. 

Mike Guenther, from Ontario, said he was walking with his wife down Main Street when he saw the vehicle hurtling towards the Canadian border on Wednesday.

He described seeing ‘car parts everywhere in pieces’ after the horror smash.

‘He was swerving as he was going down this road here, fishtailing because he was going so fast,’ he said.

‘When he hit the fence there was a fire then, but then when he went up again he must have hit the building and there was a big noise and he just shot up in the air and you couldn’t see nothing but smoke.

Eye witness Mike Guenther described the terrifying moment he saw a vehicle 'fishtail' through traffic towards Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls in the minutes leading up to the explosion

Eye witness Mike Guenther described the terrifying moment he saw a vehicle ‘fishtail’ through traffic towards Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls in the minutes leading up to the explosion

A second witness described how officials ordered him to abandon his car and cross back into Canada on foot

A second witness described how officials ordered him to abandon his car and cross back into Canada on foot 

‘We heard a big bang. I said there is no way that guy is going to stop, he is just going too fast.

‘All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30-40 feet high, I have never seen anything like it. It was really incredible.’   

Guenther said fire trucks were first on the scene and within 10 minutes there were ‘police everywhere’.

‘We could see the fireball – that’s all we could see, it was just smoke everywhere,’ he added. ‘I don’t think that person is going to survive, their car parts were everywhere.’

He described the car as ‘flying’ at over 100mph. 

‘We could hardly even see it was going that quick,’ he said.

‘There was car in front he swerved around it then it looked like he hit the fence and this fire started.’ 





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