New York Governor Kathy Hochul said there is no sign of terrorism so far in the vehicle explosion that killed two people at the Rainbow Bridge, a busy crossing between the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls.
The assessment is based on briefings that Hochul received from officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.
A suspect with ties to western New York has been identified, and the investigation will determine if it was intentional or accidental, she said.
“There is no sign of terrorist of activity with respect to this crash,” Hochul said November 22 at a news briefing in Niagara Falls. “It’s a large scene. It’s going to take a lot of time for federal law enforcement partners who are with me here today to be able to piece together the real story.”
A video of the incident, which took place at about 11:30 a.m. on November 22, shows the vehicle was moving at a high rate of speed, crashed into the median, cleared an eight-foot fence and exploded, Hochul said. The vehicle was so badly burned that nothing was left but the engine, and there was no license plate, she said.
“The vehicle is basically incinerated,” she said. A border agent on the scene who suffered minor injuries was treated and released from hospital.
Rainbow Bridge, which bans commercial traffic and mainly serves tourists, remains closed indefinitely. Three other nearby bridges, the Peace Bridge, the Lewiston-Queenston and the Whirlpool Bridge, have reopened after a temporary closing earlier in the day.
The incident drew the attention of the top leaders of both countries.
“We are taking this extraordinarily seriously,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Canada’s House of Commons. “It’s a very serious situation, but we will remain engaged for the entire day.”
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion and was monitoring the situation with members of his team, according to a White House official.
Hochul said she shared the latest information on the probe to calm the public, as the U.S. and the world are already experiencing high “stress levels” since the October 7 assault on Israel by Hamas.
“We’ve been on high alert since October 7,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important for me to stand here and tell the world based on what we know at this moment.”
About 1.5 million passenger vehicles crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the first 10 months of this year, according to data from the Bridge & Tunnel Operators Association.
The busiest bridge in the region is Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo with Fort Erie, Ontario, and which saw 2.9 million vehicles in the same period.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was “closely monitoring” the incident. In a statement, the mayor said he sent NYPD officers upstate to support law enforcement officials there, and also warned New Yorkers to expect increased security around the city, including at entry and exit points.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport, located about 25 miles southeast of the Rainbow Bridge, said it was operational with additional security checks of cars, though it said travelers can expect additional screenings. The Federal Aviation Administration said on its website the airport is closed to departing and arriving international flights.
