ROCHESTER, New York — Police were investigating after two vehicles, one with gasoline canisters inside, collided early on New Year’s Day, killing two people and injuring five others in Rochester, New York, officials said.
The crash happened shortly before 1 a.m. Monday as officers were directing traffic after a concert let out at the Kodak Center theater complex, police said in a statement.
A Ford Expedition struck a Mitsubishi Outlander, sending both vehicles “through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk,” the statement said.
The collision caused an explosion and a large blaze that took the fire department more than an hour to extinguish.
Once the flames were doused, firefighters “located at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around” the Expedition, the police statement said. That prompted police to bring in an arson team and alert the FBI, police said.
The FBI Buffalo Field Office confirmed in a statement that the agency is assisting the Rochester Police Department in the investigation.
“As we continue to investigate and collaborate with our law enforcement partners, details are limited at this time,” the FBI said.
Two passengers in the Outlander were killed and the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The driver of the Expedition was hospitalized with critical injuries. Three pedestrians who were struck were also taken to hospitals, one of them in critical condition.
Investigators asked witnesses or anyone with information to reach out to police.
Rochester is about 340 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
