NYPD: ‘No nexus’ between Buffalo bridge vehicle explosion and terrorism

The NYPD sent officers to Buffalo, New York in response to an explosion on the bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada on Wednesday, but intelligence officials said there was no connection between the explosion and terrorism.

“We see no nexus between what happened up in Niagara Falls and New York City at all at this time,” Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Rebecca Weiner said at a news conference. “Some of our efforts are just to try to understand what happened in as close to real time as possible so that does not suggest that there's anything more to this incident.”

The Associated Press reported that two people were killed when a truck exploded on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday afternoon both the Rainbow Bridge and Peace Bridge were closed, as was the Lewiston-Queenston and the Whirlpool Bridge at the direction of federal authorities.

“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,” Hochul said in a statement.

Mayor Eric Adams said he sent two NYPD analysts to Buffalo, adding that it did not impact preparations for the city’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

“When you saw the original photos, and whenever you have a report of this magnitude with a potential explosion or fire you want to be at a state of an overabundance of caution,” he said. “We like to have NYPD personnel on the ground identifying if there is a nexus.”

New York City was already on heightened alert since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, officials said, and nothing has changed for the security plans for the Thanksgiving Day parade due to the bridge explosion.

This story has been updated with new information.