Chilling video footage has emerged that captures the moment a high-speed car unexpectedly became airborne at a checkpoint on the Rainbow Bridge connecting the US and Canada on Wednesday, just seconds before it exploded into a massive fireball. The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m.
A CCTV camera captured the vehicle soaring several feet into the air, apparently after colliding with what sources identified as a barrier near the checkpoint zone on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge, which links Niagara Falls, NY, and Ontario, Canada. It has been confirmed that the crash, resulting in the death of two inside the vehicle, doesn't show any signs of a terrorist attack.
Spine-Chilling Moment
Shortly afterward, another video, believed to be captured from a nearby US Customs and Border Protection building, showed a ball of flames erupting.
The explosion sent debris from a nearby security booth into the air, with thick plumes of smoke enveloping the area, as evidenced by the footage.
Sources said that the vehicle was traveling at speeds of up to 100 mph at the time of the crash. Following its airborne trajectory, the car shattered into multiple pieces upon landing, resulting in a fireball.
"All of a sudden, he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high," witness Mike Guenther told WGRZ-TV. "I never saw anything like it."
The identities of the two occupants of the car, who lost their lives in the incident, have also been revealed by sources. Sources say the car was being driven by a 56-year-old businessman, while his wife was in the passenger's seat.
A Border Patrol officer, who was present in the checkpoint booth during the explosion, sustained injuries and was subsequently treated at a hospital before being released.
Investigation On
Investigators suspect that the vehicle was traveling from New York to Ontario when the driver, operating at an "extraordinarily high rate of speed," collided with a median on the US side, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during a press conference.
However, she confirmed that the crash did not show any signs of terrorist activity.
The explosion resulted in the closure of the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, along with three other nearby crossings, as a precautionary measure.
"Based on what we know at this moment, there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash," Hochul said.
The vehicle involved in the collision was a $300,000 Bentley driven by a 56-year-old New York businessman.
They had reportedly spent a brief amount of time, described as "minutes," at the Seneca Niagara casino resort before the explosion occurred, according to a spokesman as told to DailyMail.com.
"We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation into the incident that occurred near the Rainbow Bridge," the spokesman said.
"We have reviewed and provided information related to a vehicle that stopped at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino only for a matter of minutes shortly before the crash occurred."
Insiders from the casino said that the couple was not believed to be regular patrons and may have visited the resort primarily for currency exchange purposes.
According to CNN's John Miller, the two were en route to a Kiss concert in Canada. There is speculation that the driver, hailing from a notable family in Grand Isle, New York, may have experienced a medical issue.
