Tragedy at the Rainbow Bridge

Tragedy at the Rainbow Bridge

It was the biggest story since the car in the river on December 6, two years ago.

A vehicle, believed by the Associated Press to contain a husband and wife, left the 7/11 parking lot on Main Street and sped west on Niagara Street shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Numerous witnesses said the vehicle hit a concrete barrier just before the plaza at a speed close to 100 mph and went airborne, flying over an 8-foot fence, crashing into a Canadian inspection booth and exploding in flames.

At 12:09 Wednesday, the City of Niagara Falls sent a text city wide announcing the Rainbow Bridge was closed until further notice. It was 2:33 when a second message was sent announcing the Peace Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston Bridges was closed.

Law enforcement officers treated it as a potential terror attack.

On WBEN, broadcaster David Bellavia, a combat veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, looked at photos of the crash aftermath and pronounced the debris field consistent with bomb.

Numerous sources spoke to Bellavia and Tom Bauerle anonymously in the early portions of the investigation and intimated that the incident was consistent with a terror attack. There was even a rumor of a “second car” and discussion on terror threats on the American holiday from Hamas. Gov. Kathy Hochul sped to the scene as did investigators from numerous agencies sped to the scene.

It seemed like terror until about 4 p.m. when Bauerle and Bellavia announced with an air of skepticism that any further communication would be coming from State officials, a sign that it was tragedy but not terror.

Here’s a link to reporting from Associated Press, the most thorough reporting anywhere. The most consistent real-time information came from Mark Scheer of the Niagara Gazette. https://apnews.com/article/niagara-falls-bridge-explosion-4e8f9bfeabd94…