Two people were killed Monday outside a Kodak Center in Rochester after a Ford Expedition SUV struck a Mitsubishi Outlander, causing “a large fire,” police say.
An unnamed law enforcement source who was briefed on the incident told ABC News that the fiery crash is being investigated as being possibly terrorist-related.
Deadly New Year’s collision near Rochester, NY, venue being investigated as possible terrorism: Source https://t.co/3iQvg0icEU
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) January 2, 2024
The timing of the incident was just before 1:00 a.m. as a concert attended by 1,000 people ended, CBS News reported. “Once the fire was extinguished, first responders located at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around the striking vehicle. Based on the danger level associated with these, the Rochester Police Department Bomb Squad and Joint Arson Task Force responded to the scene,” Rochester Chief of Police David Smith said at a press conference.
Chief David Smith and Mayor Malik Evans update the media about this morning’s crash on West Ridge Road.https://t.co/hzl7SeJ1Al
— Rochester NY Police (@RochesterNYPD) January 1, 2024
The police chief mentioned that two other persons “were fighting for their lives” as a result of injuries sustained due to the collision. He also stated that the force of collision caused the two cars to go through a pedestrian crosswalk hitting people there and then hitting two other vehicles. Smith said that the”large fire associated with the crash” took the fire department “almost an hour to extinguish.” Smith added two occupants in the Mitsubishi were killed, with the driver being taken to hospital with “non-life threatening” injuries. A total of three pedestrians were injured from the collision, with one in “life-threatening condition,” the police chief said.
The alleged driver of the Ford Expedition is in the hospital with “life-threatening injuries,” Smith said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed they are also investigating the incident, ABC News reported.
#FBI Buffalo’s statement on the New Year’s Day motor vehicle collision on West Ridge Road in Rochester. pic.twitter.com/eIfshmZPGg
— FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) January 1, 2024
The law enforcement source told ABC News that the investigation was being led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a unit within the FBI, but said no determination at this point has been made if this was an act of terrorism.