Police: Two Killed When Driver in Car Filled with Explosives Barrels into New York Concertgoers

Amy Furr

A man driving a car packed with explosives barreled into a crowd in Rochester, New York, on Monday.

A couple was killed and several other individuals hurt when the incident happened as about 1,000 people were leaving a concert at the Kodak Center around 12:50 a.m., the New York Post reported.

“Rochester officers were helping pedestrians cross the street when Michael Avery, a suspected bipolar man from Syracuse, sped his rented Ford Expedition toward the crowd and smashed into an Uber pulling out of a nearby parking lot, law enforcement sources said,” the outlet noted.

An image shows the area after the crash with firefighters assessing the scene:

When the two vehicles crashed into one another, they were pushed through the group of pedestrians and hit two additional cars. That was when the cars exploded and firefighters worked for almost an hour to quell the flames.

Video footage shows police vehicles at the scene with flames reaching up into the sky:

Sources and law enforcement officials said the couple in the ride share vehicle lost their lives and the driver was transported to a local hospital in non-life-threatening condition.

In addition, several pedestrians were hit during the incident. One of those people was “clinging to life,” the Post report noted.

Officials took Avery to a hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries. He died hours later.

Surveillance images show Avery wearing a black jacket, jeans, and carrying what appears to be a red gasoline can:

“Although the motive behind the crime remains unknown, the conversations we’ve had with his family so far leads us to believe that Avery may have been suffering from possible undiagnosed mental health issues,” Rochester Police Chief David Smith said during a press conference:

Smith said officials found several gasoline canisters that had been scattered on the street at the scene and also inside the Expedition involved.

A clip taken as the crash unfolded shows a black SUV after it hit a smaller white vehicle head on. The SUV appears to be pushing the other car backwards as flames engulf it:

“Law enforcement sources initially reported that the crash was being investigated as possible domestic terrorism but said Tuesday there was no terror link,” the Post article said.

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