Fatal Niagara Falls explosive car incident ruled mechanical malfunction
In a devastating incident on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the province of New York State with Ontario in Niagara Falls, two people lost their lives when the vehicle in which they were traveling flew off and exploded.
The accident generated an alarming situation leading to a temporary closure of the four border crossings, due to fears of a possible terrorist act. However, after a thorough investigation led by the FBI and Customs and Border Protection, indications of terrorism were ruled out, as stated by New York Governor Kathy Hochul:
“I want to be very clear to Americans and New Yorkers: there is no indication of a terrorist attack at this time.”According to local authorities, the car was traveling at high speed on the U.S. side of the border, initially disproving the belief that it came from the Canadian side.
According to one expert, Vincent A. Ettari, a civil engineer, told The New York Times that he believes Kurt Villani was frantically slamming on the brakes of his Bentley Flying Spur 2022 when it blew up and ended up exploding in the guardhouse.
Villani and his wife Monica, both 53, were on their way to a KISS concert when the horrific accident occurred at the Rainbow Bridge.The couple was in their $300,000 Bentley at the time and had told friends there was a problem with the accelerator in the weeks leading up to the accident. The automaker has yet to comment on the tragedy.
Niagara Falls Police Chief John Faso told local media Friday that an investigation would continue into what caused the car to go through an intersection, hit a median, and fly through the air.
