Kurt and Monica Villani identified as victims in Rainbow Bridge tragedy as family and friends pay tribute
NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA: Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, both 53, died on November 22 in an explosive car crash at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. The couple hailed from Grand Island, New York, and ran a family hardware business, and has been identified as the crash victims by the NYPD.
They were on their way to Toronto to see a KISS concert when their car was seen on camera crashing into a median at the border crossing. The 2022 Bentley flew into the air and then exploded into flames.
The nature of the crash had many suspecting a terrorist ploy, according to The Buffalo News. However, the FBI and other assisting agencies came to a different conclusion within hours.
NOT MUSLIM, NOT TERRORISTS: In case you missed this today, Kurt and Monica Villani, a couple from Grand Island, have been identified as the individuals involved in the Rainbow Bridge accident on the US-Canada border last Wednesday. They were not 'Muslim terrorists.' pic.twitter.com/vH9G0pk21M
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) November 24, 2023
The accident is suspected to be caused by a medical incident or a vehicle malfunction. The government of Australia had issued a limited recall of Bentleys over problems with the accelerator getting stuck back in 2021.
Why did the Villanis' vehicle explode?
Speaking with Fox News, Michael Verden, a former Secret Service agent and founder of security consulting agency The Lake Forest Group, said, "If the car has a half tank, a full tank of gas at 100 miles an hour, when it hits cement, that vehicle is going to explode. It's going to explode like a bomb. … There's rationale behind the vehicle exploding is my point."
The investigators had looked at cellphone data pinging in the area during the time of the crash to help them identify the victims, he added.
"There's a lot of information because of where they were. They're going through a border crossing. So it's not like just some random surface street. This is the main thoroughfare. So there's going to be a lot of information," said Verden.
Friends remember Kurt and Monica Villani
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert M. Restaino claimed to be a family friend of the Villanis.
Restaino told The Buffalo News that he "knew Kurt’s dad, who died last year, through my father. Our families have known each other for decades. I knew Kurt and Monica, two kind, easygoing, and very hardworking people."
“This was just a tragic, horrible incident, and because of the condition of the vehicle and sadly the human remains, we may never find out exactly what happened,” he mentioned, adding that the Villanis are survived by their son and daughter, as well as Kurt Villani’s mother.
Eric Fiebelkorn, president of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, said of the Villanis, "They are a very generous and community-oriented family. With the loss of Kurt Sr last year, and now this tragic loss of Kurt Jr and Monica, it leaves a void in our small-town business community that will be very difficult to fill. Our prayers and our thoughts certainly go out to their family and staff. The membership of the Chamber of Commerce will be available to help them in any way we can.”
Neighbor and close friend of the family, Check Meyer, told The Sun that he saw a line of cars in the couple's driveway after the crash, and thought that they were celebrating the holidays early. The news was even more shocking after that.
The Villanis generously donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Niagara Falls and helped fund the rebuilding of the Niagara Sailing Clubhouse which was damaged in a fire, said Meyer. "That's the type of people we lost."
The family of the deceased couple released a statement on November 24, which read, "We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all that extended prayers, condolences and well wishes. We are deeply touched. At this point, we are requesting privacy so we may begin the process of healing. Thank you.”
