Two people were killed Wednesday when their vehicle hit a curb at high speed and launched into the air before landing in a fireball at a bridge that links the United States and Canada near Niagara Falls.
The explosion on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge prompted authorities to close all nearby border crossings out of initial caution.
It also sparked fears of possible terrorism, but officials said later Wednesday there was no indication the crash was motivated by terrorist intent. The FBI said late Thursday it had concluded its investigation at the scene of the incident.
“A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified,” the agency said in a statement on X. “The matter has been turned over to the other Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”
“The FBI thanks our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for their assistance, and we remain committed in our mission to keeping the public safe.”
In footage released by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, a light-colored car can be seen speeding toward the bridge, exploding near a secondary checkpoint.
The two occupants in the vehicle are dead. They are believed to have been a New York husband and wife driving a Bentley, CNN reported, citing investigators. At least one Border Patrol officer was injured during the explosion, according to The New York Times.
The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown.
Multiple media outlets reported that no explosives were found inside the vehicle, and, according to Reuters, it’s likely that the explosion was caused by driving issues.
The FBI Buffalo Field Office in New York and local, state and federal authorities responded to investigate the incident. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force was also collaborating with New York State Police, Hochul said.
By Thursday morning, the Niagara Falls Police Department’s Crash Management Unit had taken over the investigation, Reuters reported.
The bridge reopened on Thursday evening.
As images were emerging of the crash site Wednesday, Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called it a “very serious situation.”
Local government offices were also evacuated and closed down as a result of the explosion, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and New York State Assembly Member Michael Novakhov.
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the entity responsible for the public transportation system as well as the Niagara Falls International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport, said it would increase its security “system-wide.”
“The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Airports are fully operational. We advise travelers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel,” the NFTA said.
Sara Boboltz and Nick Visser contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article reported that the car was coming from Canada. It has been determined the car entered the bridge from the U.S. side.