- Kurt and Monica Villani, 53, were driving a $300,000 Bentley at the time of the crash
- Friends say they have had problems with the accelerator in recent weeks
- The pair were both killed when the vehicle crashed at an immigration gate
- They are survived by their children, Kurt Jr., 26, and Mia, 27
The couple who died in a fiery crash on Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday were named Kurt and Monica Villani.
The couple, both 53, were named by Niagara Falls police on Friday.
The pair were on their way to a KISS concert when the incident occurred, sparking fears of a terror attack and closing the border crossing for hours.
What exactly led to the accident has not yet been confirmed. The pair were in a Bentley driven by Mr Villani.
Wednesday morning the Bentley drives towards the bridge. Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, were inside
The crash raised fears of an attempted terror attack, although New York Governor Kathy Hochul has since confirmed there is no evidence of this. The governor referred to the victims as “local individuals.”
Villani and his wife lived on Grand Island, New York, less than ten miles south of where the crash occurred. They married in May 1995.
The couple is survived by their two children, son Kurt Jr. and daughter Mia. The couple’s son was a hockey prodigy in his youth and was part of the Buffalo Sabers organization.
Police have said the couple left the Seneca Niagara Casino, close to the border crossing, before they crashed.
On Thursday, members of the Grand Island community paid tribute to the couple as a generous and thoughtful couple.
“You know, just plowing everyone’s driveway for love, you know what I mean? Just always willing to help and lend a hand. Always. always always. They were just really friendly, wonderful people,” said resident Mary Meyer.
Chuck Meyer added, “Without ever being asked, all they did was give money, and that’s the kind of people we’ve lost.”
Kurt and his son, 26-year-old Kurt Jr., were also celebrated by local news media in 2014 after handing out 250 turkeys on Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition his father, Kurt M. Villani, started.
The family operated Gui’s Lumber, which has seven locations, including one in Niagara Falls, where Wednesday’s fatal crash occurred. The family started in 1986 with Villani’s father, Kurt M. Villani.
The family business was built up in 2015 headlines across the region when they were acquitted after a lengthy investigation by tax authorities, which found that they had ‘overpaid’ certain taxes rather than ‘underpaid’ as alleged.
The massive explosion occurred when the car crashed at an immigration checkpoint
Wednesday’s incident isn’t the first time a horrific crash has claimed the life of a member of the Villani family.
In July 1978, Villani’s grandmother, Lorraine, was killed when she was thrown from a boat traveling along the Niagara River at 3 a.m. Kurt M. and his wife Gail Villani were also on board at the time, but were unharmed.
The boat struck a bridge while Lorraine Villani was at the helm. The family later successfully sued the company that built the bridge, after it was found to be improperly lit, for $120,000 in 1984.
Online records show the Villani family owns a string of properties in the Grand Island area.