ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A tragic incident occurred in Rochester, New York, on New Year’s Day, as a fiery two-vehicle collision resulted in the death of two individuals and left five others injured. According to officials, the crash took place just before 1 a.m. on Monday, following a concert at the Kodak Center theater complex, as police officers were directing traffic.
The collision involved a Ford Expedition and a Mitsubishi Outlander, both of which ran through a group of pedestrians in the crosswalk, causing the vehicles to explode and ignite into a large blaze. It took the fire department over an hour to extinguish the flames. Upon further investigation, firefighters discovered multiple gasoline canisters in and around the Ford Expedition, leading to the involvement of an arson team and alerting the FBI, as stated by the police.
Tragically, two passengers in the Outlander lost their lives, while the driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Expedition was hospitalized with critical injuries, and three pedestrians were also taken to hospitals, one in critical condition. Authorities urge anyone with information about the collision to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation.
Rochester, located about 340 miles northwest of Manhattan, is left mourning the loss of two lives and grappling with the aftermath of the devastating collision.