Deadly upstate NY crash being investigated as possible terrorism

Two people are dead and several others injured after a crash outside of a concert venue in Rochester, New York, in the early morning of Monday, Jan. 1. According to law enforcement, the crash is being investigated as possible terrorism.

The collision happened just before 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day; police said a Ford Expedition barreled through an Uber that was leaving a parking lot at the Kodak Center, bursting into flames, killing two passengers and injuring the Uber driver. The fiery crash spilled into a nearby crosswalk, hitting pedestrians and two other vehicles; according to police, three people using the crosswalk were hit, one was left with life-threatening injuries, and two suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

“The force of the collision caused the two vehicles to go through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk, and then into two other vehicles,” said David Smith, Rochester Chief of Police. “There was a large fire associated with the crash that took the Rochester Fire Department almost one hour to extinguish.”

Law enforcement said the driver of the Ford, a Syracuse man, was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, though media outlets are now reporting the man has died. Police said he rented the large SUV from the Syracuse airport, and after firefighters were able to put the fire out, they found at least a dozen gas cans in and around the SUV.

BREAKING: According to @ABC, the driver of the SUV that killed two people outside the Kodak Center is dead.
The FBI is investigating this crash as an act of terrorism because of the dozen gas cans found inside the car.
More info to come.https://t.co/xL3O6YsclD

— Abby Fridmann (@abbyfridmannTV) January 2, 2024

The Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading an investigation. While authorities don’t yet know if the crash was terrorism, sources told ABC News that the crash is being investigated as such until they can determine what happened, and why there were so many gas cans inside the SUV. The Rochester Police Department is expected to give an update on Tuesday, Jan. 2, according to local media.