Police said Kurt Villani, 53, and his wife, Monica Villani, 53, of Grand Island, New York were killed, WGRZ reported.
Scott Henderson, the Niagra Sailing Club treasurer said the couple was “ingrained and influential in this community.”
The Villanis’ friend Chuck Meyer, told WGRZ, “I got home yesterday (Wednesday). I didn’t know anything other than hearing things on the news about the border, and then saw that their driveway was filled up with all these cars. I thought, ‘Oh, they’re having Christmas or Thanksgiving early, and like, that’s really nice.’ And then about an hour later, heard the news and I’m like, oh my God.”
WKBW reported the Villanis were killed Wednesday after a car they were in was seen driving fast, hitting a median and launching into the air. It crashed into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection booth at the Rainbow Bridge. Both the car and booth exploded.
No explosives were found at the scene of the blast, WHAM reported.
Officials said there were no signs of terrorism but they’re still trying to figure out what caused the incident to happen, The Associated Press reported.
The FBI’s Buffalo office had been on the scene to investigate but has since turned it over to the Niagara Falls Police Department, categorizing it as a traffic investigation. WHAM reported the Crash Management Unit is in charge of the investigation.
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Explosion Rocks Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls The FBI is investigating after a vehicle reportedly exploded on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. Photo courtesy of WIVB-TV.
Explosion Rocks Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls The FBI is investigating after a vehicle reportedly exploded on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. Photo courtesy of WIVB-TV.
Explosion Rocks Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls The FBI is investigating after a vehicle reportedly exploded on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. Photo courtesy of WIVB-TV.
Explosion Rocks Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls The FBI is investigating after a vehicle reportedly exploded on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. Photo courtesy of WIVB-TV.
Niagara Falls
Explosion Rocks Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls The FBI is investigating after a vehicle reportedly exploded on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls.
Explosion Rocks Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls The FBI is investigating after a vehicle reportedly exploded on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. Photo courtesy of WIVB-TV.
Border Crossing Explosion FILE - A vehicle crosses the International Rainbow Bridge from Niagara Falls, Ontario, into Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. A border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. (Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press via AP, File) (Aaron Lynett/AP)
Border Crossing Explosion Law enforcement personnel block off the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP) (Derek Gee/AP)
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Border Crossing Explosion A Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists in Niagara Falls, N.Y., away from the Rainbow Bridge border crossing after a car is reported to have exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP) (Derek Gee/AP)
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