Explosion on Rainbow Bridge

[Z.O.R.G.]

Currently being viewed as an act of terror

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12781031/Explosion-Rainbow-Bridge-Niagara-Falls-Governor-closes-FOUR-international-border-crossings-Canada.html

[NT2C]

Vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge closes U.S.-Canada border crossings

[Z.O.R.G.]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is now speaking with media and starts by saying "there is no indication of a terrorist attack".
She says the vehicle has been "incinerated" and nothing is left but the engine.

[NT2C]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is now speaking with media and starts by saying "there is no indication of a terrorist attack".
She says the vehicle has been "incinerated" and nothing is left but the engine.

Yeah, vehicle fires don't usually get that hot.  Even if it is a fiberglass/composite/aluminum body there's still a frame and running gear.  WTH was in it to combust like that?

[Z.O.R.G.]

There's all kinds of "odd" things about this story...

• Cars rarely explode (except in the movies) when they crash - let alone spread wreckage over that many toll booths
• I've been on that bridge, not sure how you could get going that fast in that little distance. I've heard quotes of 100 mph. The entire bridge is only 1/2 mile including custom booths
• The car went airborne and cleared a 6 foot fence - in less than 1/2 mile. 
• The story has changed several times as to if the car came from the US or Canada. Last one I heard is that it came from the US and did a U-turn
• As NT2C said, when cars burn - they don't burn that hot without help

It will be interesting to hear additional details in the following days. My guess is this will be dropped from the news quickly. 

[Z.O.R.G.]

I just watched several videos that the Governor released and said they "almost looked CGI."  And they did indeed look like CGI footage. The car in them clearly came from the US side of the boarder. So I don't understand why there was any discussion of it coming from Canada. Putting on my tinfoil hat and going to the faraday cage now...

[majorhavoc]

I just watched several videos that the Governor released and said they "almost looked CGI."  And they did indeed look like CGI footage. The car in them clearly came from the US side of the boarder. So I don't understand why there was any discussion of it coming from Canada. Putting on my tinfoil hat and going to the faraday cage now...

[Raptor]

I read that the vehicle was a Bentley. I saw the explosion video...if a Bentley which weighs more than many PU trucks hit something @ 100 mph you can expect to see a lot of things flying.

But yeah, vehicles normally do not explode on impact. A high velocity impact where the fuel spills fuel will obviously cause a fire but that did not look normal.

As for the immediate statement that no terrorist was involved ... That seems like someone saying move along....nothing to see here.
In other words very suspiciously fast. That said who knows? Not me. YMMV

[Anianna]

The driver and his wife were New Yorkers and intended to cross the border to go to a KISS concert, but it was canceled, so they went to a casino on the US side, instead.  The casino owners are on record that the car was only at the casino briefly.  If I understand correctly (media has been vague on this point), they crossed into Canada and crossed back to the casino, then almost immediately went back toward the crossing. 

I saw the video of the car approaching and hitting the curb that launched it.  It appears to be going as fast as a Bentley can possibly go by the time it enters the view of the camera.  Perhaps the driver was confused thinking they were slamming the break instead of the gas or maybe the pedal stuck.  There doesn't appear to be enough left to determine if either of those possibilities are what happened here.  Neither would explain the extent of the explosion and fire. 

This article shows the launch: https://news.yahoo.com/rainbow-bridge-explosion-governor-statement-084031018.html

The FBI said they're done with their investigation and are turning the case over to the Niagra Falls PD as a traffic investigation.  There was nothing found in the couple's history to indicate that the action was nefarious:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/rainbow-bridge-us-canada-closed-explosion-sources/story?id=105102476

Of note, the statement from the FBI said, "A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials and no terrorism nexus was identified."

I wonder if it's possible that there was already a fire in the car and that's why the driver panicked.  I don't see evidence of flames or smoke in the video to the point of launch, but we don't have a great view, particularly of the interior.  There's just so much we don't know and probably will never know.  It's either an incredibly bizarre accident or a coverup, that's for certain.

[flybynight]

The driver and his wife were New Yorkers and intended to cross the border to go to a KISS concert, but it was canceled, so they went to a casino on the US side, instead.  The casino owners are on record that the car was only at the casino briefly.  If I understand correctly (media has been vague on this point), they crossed into Canada and crossed back to the casino, then almost immediately went back toward the crossing. 

I saw the video of the car approaching and hitting the curb that launched it.  It appears to be going as fast as a Bentley can possibly go by the time it enters the view of the camera.  Perhaps the driver was confused thinking they were slamming the break instead of the gas or maybe the pedal stuck.  There doesn't appear to be enough left to determine if either of those possibilities are what happened here.  Neither would explain the extent of the explosion and fire. 

This article shows the launch: https://news.yahoo.com/rainbow-bridge-explosion-governor-statement-084031018.html

The FBI said they're done with their investigation and are turning the case over to the Niagra Falls PD as a traffic investigation.  There was nothing found in the couple's history to indicate that the action was nefarious:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/rainbow-bridge-us-canada-closed-explosion-sources/story?id=105102476

Of note, the statement from the FBI said, "A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials and no terrorism nexus was identified."

I wonder if it's possible that there was already a fire in the car and that's why the driver panicked.  I don't see evidence of flames or smoke in the video to the point of launch, but we don't have a great view, particularly of the interior.  There's just so much we don't know and probably will never know.  It's either an incredibly bizarre accident or a coverup, that's for certain.

So...A possible KISS Army attack?

[Z.O.R.G.]

The car was a hybrid, and speculation is the gas tank/line was ruptured when the vehicle became airborne. When it hit the barrier, the battery ruptured.  That would likely explain both the explosion and intensity of the fire.  The couple was from Grand Island NY (not NYC) and were well known in the community.  The high speed is speculated to be the result of a medical incident or a stuck accelerator.  

[Raptor]

I watched the video and by my estimate the vehicle was 8 to 10 feet in the air. The car is capable of hitting 150+ mph so the claim it was doing 100mph is not likely an exaggeration. 

A 5300 +/_ lb car going 100 mph impacting a building is going cause a lot of damage. 

 

[DarkAxel]

The car was a hybrid, and speculation is the gas tank/line was ruptured when the vehicle became airborne. When it hit the barrier, the battery ruptured.  That would likely explain both the explosion and intensity of the fire.  The couple was from Grand Island NY (not NYC) and were well known in the community.  The high speed is speculated to be the result of a medical incident or a stuck accelerator. 

If the car had an Electronic Throttle Control it could have failed and caused the acceleration.

[Anianna]

I watched the video and by my estimate the vehicle was 8 to 10 feet in the air. The car is capable of hitting 150+ mph so the claim it was doing 100mph is not likely an exaggeration.

A 5300 +/_ lb car going 100 mph impacting a building is going cause a lot of damage.

 

I believe one of the articles said that fence it easily cleared is a six foot fence, so that sounds about right.