Footage shows speeding car flying into the air before explosion on Niagara Falls bridge that killed two

CCTV footage shows a car travelling up to 160km/h hitting a barrier and flying into the air before a dramatic explosion on a bridge at Niagara Falls, killing two people.

Incredible security footage has captured the moment a speeding car went airborne before a dramatic explosion at Niagara Falls that killed two people.

Authorities in New York say there is no sign yet of a terrorist link to the blast, which happened on the Rainbow Bridge just north of the famous falls between New York and Ontario, Canada, about 11.20am Wednesday local time (3.30am Thursday AEST).

Two people inside the car were killed.

Footage from the Rainbow Bridge security camera, released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), showed a light-coloured car travelling at extremely high speed go off the road and launch into the air.

The vehicle was travelling at up to 100 miles per hour (160km/h) when it hit a barrier, flying into the air and breaking into several pieces when it landed, federal law enforcement sources told the NY Post.

There was initial speculation the incident was a terrorist attack, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul said investigations so far did not suggest that was the case.

“There is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash,” she said in a press briefing this morning.

Ms Hochul said authorities had “identified that this is a local individual, a western New Yorker” inside the car and the investigation was still developing.

She acknowledged “high stress” surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, and said “the world is watching to find out what’s happening here”.

But she stressed information from briefings with law enforcement agencies was preliminary and there was no evidence to link the incident to terrorism “at this time”.

The FBI was looking into whether the explosion was the result of a car bomb, sources told The Post.

Investigators found something in the debris on the ground that looked of interest, but it turned up negative for explosives, the sources said.

Other theories were also being weighed, including that the driver suffered a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle, or that they were attempting to flee authorities, according to the sources.

The Rainbow Bridge connects Niagara Falls, in New York, with the town of the same name in Ontario, Canada. It is the main bridge linking the tourism centres but it is not the crossing most traffic uses as it’s not connected to a major motorway.

The car exploded close to the US border checkpoint on the bridge. Picture: Nikki Kraft/WIVB

The car was said to have hit a pylon and then exploded. Pictures: FBNY.

Pictures showed smoke rising from the vehicle on the Rainbow Bridge after the explosion, as the FBI, New York police, border authorities and the bomb squad rushed to the scene.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer said he has been briefed by the FBI, which confirmed two people had been killed, but had not yet established any possible motive.

“Initial reports indicate the two people killed were in the car but nothing’s been determined on their identity or motive,” Mr Schumer said on X, formally Twitter.

“They continue to investigate — law enforcement remains on heightened alert over Thanksgiving.”

A suitcase was found near the car but did not contain any explosives, the New York Times reported citing a law enforcement official.

“A law enforcement official briefed on the incident said investigators believed the explosion resulted from the impact of the collision. The car went airborne and struck a cement pillar, according to the official,” the Times reported.

Earlier, Fox News reported its sources said it was an “attempted terror attack”, that there were explosives in the vehicle, and it was set to drive into US border buildings.

Substantial border patrol stations are on both the US and Canada sides with all vehicles and pedestrians checked.

Multiple media reports have said the car had an initial check on the US side and was then directed to a separate area for secondary checking.

Local newspaper the Niagara Gazette reported that the vehicle then careened towards a US building.

“The car sped onto the bridge plaza, went through a fence separating the inbound lanes from the outbound lanes, and toward the inspection lanes where it exploded, according to law enforcement sources at the scene,” the publication stated.

CBS News has reported a police officer said the car exploded after it hit a pylon on the bridge at high speed.

Explosion on Niagara Falls bridge. Pictures: FBNY.

A border protection agent from the US was injured.

“The FBI is co-ordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation. As this situation is very fluid, that’s all we can say at this time,” the FBI said in a statement.

The Rainbow Bridge crosses from the United States into Canada at Niagara Falls. Picture: Daniel SLIM / AFP

Travellers crossing the Rainbow Bridge from Niagara Falls, Ontario, to Niagara Falls, New York. Picture: Geoff Robins / AFP

“This is obviously a very serious situation,” Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters.

“We’re taking this circumstance very seriously but to speculate on the origin of this particular circumstance – the reasons why this may have happened – until we have more accurate information is simply not responsible.”

Ron Rienas, general manager of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, told the American ABC News that all four bridges linking the US and Canada over the Niagara River had now been closed.

Ms Hochul said she would be travelling to the nearby city of Buffalo.

“At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York,” she said.

“I am travelling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders and will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available.”

The Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario Doug Ford said: “Our provincial law enforcement is actively engaged in assessing the situation”.

— with NY Post