Current:Home > NewsCause of crash that killed NY couple at Niagara Falls border crossing still a mystery 8 months later -WealthFlow Academy
Cause of crash that killed NY couple at Niagara Falls border crossing still a mystery 8 months later
View
Date:2025-04-13 16:23:35
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — A police investigation into the crash and explosion that killed two people in a high-powered luxury car at a Niagara Falls border crossing last year has concluded with the crash’s cause still a mystery, authorities said.
The probe into the Nov. 22, 2023, crash that killed Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, “is considered closed at this point, but can be reopened if any new evidence comes to light,” Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino told The Buffalo News this week.
Restaino said investigators were hampered by the fact that the car’s event data recorder, or black box, was destroyed in the crash.
The Villanis, who were from the western New York community of Grand Island, were in a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur that crashed and exploded at the Rainbow Bridge connecting the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Security camera video showed the Bentley race through an intersection, hit a low median and vault high into the air just east of the bridge’s main vehicle checkpoint. The car flew for yards (meters) and crashed into a line of checkpoint booths outside the camera’s view.
The violent crash at the U.S.-Canada border aroused fears of terrorism, but the FBI’s Buffalo office said its investigation found no signs of a terror attack and turned the case over to local police.
The Niagara Falls police investigated the crash without finding any answers to questions such as whether a mechanical failure or driver error was to blame, the newspaper reported.
Calls to the Niagara Falls police placed by The Associated Press were not returned, and a staff member in Restaino’s office said the mayor was not available to speak on Wednesday.
Restaino told the Buffalo News that no one may ever know what caused the crash unless insurers discover it.
A message seeking comment was sent to the Cincinnati Insurance Companies, identified by authorities as the company that insured the Bentley.
Erin Bronner, a Bentley Motors spokesperson, told the Buffalo News last February that Bentley Motors was conducting its own investigation into the fatal crash.
Bronner declined to discuss any details of the case on Wednesday.
Police said the Villanis were killed instantly in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. The Edmunds.com website describes the 2022 Flying Spur as a high-powered luxury car that can go from 0 to 60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour in four seconds. When new, the vehicle sold for $204,500 to $309,000, depending on which options were purchased, the website said.
veryGood! (185)
Related
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- The Bachelor's Kelsey Anderson Explains How That Limo Moment Went Down
- New Mexico State University names Torres interim president
- Who Are The Montana Boyz? Meet the Group Going Viral on TikTok
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- A mostly male board will decide whether a Nebraska lawmaker faces censure for sexual harassment
- John Harrison: The truth behind the four consecutive kills in the Vietnamese market
- Book made with dead woman's skin removed from Harvard Library amid probe of human remains found at school
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Man in Scream-Like Mask Allegedly Killed Neighbor With Chainsaw and Knife in Pennsylvania
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- A decade after deaths of 2 Boston firefighters, senators pass bill to toughen oversight
- California proposal would change how power bills are calculated, aiming to relieve summer spikes
- Can adults get hand, foot and mouth disease? Yes, but here's why kids are more impacted.
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- ASTRO: Bitcoin has historically halved data
- There are ways to protect bridges from ships hitting them. An expert explains how.
- LeBron James 'proud' to announce Duquesne's hire of Dru Joyce III, his high school teammate
Recommendation
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is impacting cruises and could cause up to $10 million in losses for Carnival
Hijab wearing players in women’s NCAA Tournament hope to inspire others
CLFCOIN proactively embraces regulation in the new era
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
The Hedge Fund Manager's Path to Financial Freedom in Retirement: An Interview with John Harrison
Tennessee politicians strip historically Black university of its board
Many Americans say immigrants contribute to economy but there’s worry over risks, AP-NORC poll finds