Theory emerges on Rainbow Bridge car crash

The FBI concluded its investigation and turned it over to the local police department as a traffic related investigation. The FBI did not find evidence of explosives or evidence of a related terror/terrorist nexus. A theory that is being considered is that the vehicle suffered a mechanical failure that caused it to take off at a high rate of speed before taking to the air. The above image is a screen capture from a video of a car, in Poland, “taking flight.”

From the New York Post:

Investigators believe that the $300,000 Bentley that was crashed at a Niagara Falls border checkpoint — exploding in a fireball that caused major panic and killed the wealthy New York couple inside — may have suffered mechanical failure, according to the local mayor.

The FBI confirmed within hours of Wednesday’s fiery crash at the Rainbow Bridge that it had wrapped its own investigation after finding “no explosive material, and no terrorism nexus.”

The case is now a “traffic investigation” by the Niagara Falls Police Department — who believe it was likely either the driver suffering a medical incident or the car malfunctioning, sources told The Buffalo News.

The husband and wife in the car were identified by police as Kurt Villani and his wife Monica, both 53, who were on their way to see KISS in concert in Toronto, a gig that was canceled when frontman Paul Stanley came down with the flu.

The mayor of Niagra Falls, Robert Restaino, also told the New York Times that investigators are eyeing a possible mechanical failure that caused it to accelerate to at least 100 mph before flying over a fence and crashing into a border crossing booth.

The New York Post has additional information here.

Below is a video that shows a car take to the air after meeting the edge of a roundabout in Poland.

Category: International Affairs, Society