23-11-2023 (WASHINGTON) A vehicle explosion on November 22nd at the Rainbow Bridge, which connects Canada with the United States at Niagara Falls, has led authorities to close the affected border crossing and three others between western New York and southern Ontario, officials have confirmed.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the vehicle’s driver and a passenger were killed in the explosion, while a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer sustained injuries. Investigators have ruled out a bomb as the cause but have yet to discount the possibility of terrorism due to the undetermined circumstances surrounding the incident. The source, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “It’s not being ruled out because we really have no idea what happened.”
US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York, who received a briefing from the FBI, noted that initial reports indicate the fatalities occurred within the car, but no details regarding their identity or motive have been determined.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has been mobilized to investigate the incident, as confirmed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. While initial indications from CBP suggest that the incident may have resulted from the actions of a reckless driver leading to a crash and subsequent fire, the possibility of a deliberate attack has not been ruled out. However, preliminary evidence does not currently support such a scenario.
The incident has unfolded amidst heightened security concerns globally, arising from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and during the peak of US holiday travel on the eve of Thanksgiving celebrations.
Following the incident, Buffalo International Airport temporarily suspended all departing and arriving international flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center reported treating a single patient with non-life-threatening injuries related to the incident. The patient has since been discharged.
Eyewitness and law enforcement accounts suggest that a speeding car entered the bridge and lost control before crashing and bursting into flames. The Niagara Gazette, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the car entered the bridge plaza, broke through a fence separating inbound and outbound lanes, and headed towards the inspection lanes where the explosion occurred. CNN, citing an unnamed source and featuring video footage from the scene, stated that the vehicle was approaching from the US side of the border, accelerated, hit a curb, went airborne, and then caught fire and exploded.
Mike Guenther, an eyewitness, recounted that the car was traveling at a high speed from the US side, crashed into a fence at the crossing, and was propelled into the air before exploding. Guenther, visiting from Kitchener, Ontario, described the vehicle as a luxury sedan and witnessed it “fish-tailing” out of control before the crash. He added, “It was a ball of fire, 30 or 40 feet high, never seen anything like it.”
????#BREAKING: New surveillance video shows the moment when the white vehicle went airborne and crashed at the Rainbow Bridge Crossing checkpoint before going up in flames near Niagara Falls pic.twitter.com/7I2JGM9aTw
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 22, 2023
As a precautionary measure, the Rainbow Bridge and the other three border crossings along the Niagara River between western New York and southern Ontario—the Peace Bridge, the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, and the Whirlpool Bridge—have been indefinitely shut down, according to the New York governor’s office. Other international crossings remain open under heightened alert status. The affected bridges are among the busiest border crossings in the world, facilitating vehicle traffic between Ontario and New York, while the Whirlpool Bridge serves both rail and vehicle transportation.
Security measures have been heightened at airports and railways managed by the Niagara-Frontier Transit Authority in the region, as confirmed by the governor’s office. Additionally, security has been tightened at various locations in New York City, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
The Canadian government has expressed serious concern over the incident, with Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc stating that the situation is being taken extremely seriously. LeBlanc confirmed close communication with American authorities and expressed plans to speak with the US Homeland Security Secretary. Meanwhile, the FBI field office in Buffalo, New York, is leading the investigation into the explosion and coordinating efforts with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.
New York Governor Hochul has directed the state police to actively collaborate with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in monitoring all entry points into New York. Canadian law enforcement teams are also actively involved in assessing the situation, as announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
