Mystery deepens into Bentley driver Kurt Villani who plowed $300,000 ‘Flying Spur’ supercar into Rainbow Bridge in fireball crash that sparked terror fears – as cops release major update

The mystery of why a $300,000 Bentley crashed into the U.S.-Canada border at 100 mph and exploded, killing a couple, may never be solved now that police have closed the case.

Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, were burned in the massive fireball at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls on November 22 while on their way to a KISS rock concert.

The couple, from Grand Island, a neighborhood in Western New York, drove a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur, which can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in four seconds.

Security camera footage showed the Bentley racing through an intersection, hitting a low median strip and flying high into the air, just east of the bridge’s main vehicle checkpoint.

The car flew several meters and crashed into a row of checkpoints out of sight of the cameras, then exploded in a huge fireball that melted the car.

The violent crash at the US-Canada border sparked fears of terrorism, but the FBI office in Buffalo said its investigation found no signs of a terrorist attack and turned the case over to local police.

Eight months later, police are still baffled and “the case is considered closed at this time, but may be reopened if new evidence comes to light,” Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino told The Buffalo News.

According to Restaino, investigators were hampered by the fact that the event data recorder, also known as the black box, was destroyed in the crash.

He said no one will ever know what caused the crash unless insurers find out.

Niagara Falls police investigated the crash but could not find answers to questions about whether mechanical failure or driver illness or error was the cause.

It is also unknown whether the black box sent information about the sudden acceleration to Bentley, or whether the carmaker’s own investigation yielded any results.

Kurt Villani, 53, was killed along with his wife on Wednesday when their Bentley lost control and crashed on Rainbow Bridge. He is shown in 2014

The Bentley is seen driving towards the bridge on Wednesday morning. Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, were inside

Bentley Motors spokesperson Erin Bronner told the Buffalo News last February that Bentley Motors was conducting an investigation into the fatal crash.

Bronner declined to discuss details of the case on Wednesday.

Betsy Ertel, a spokesperson for Cincinnati Insurance Companies, which insured the Bentley, would not discuss details of a claim “out of respect for the privacy of our policyholders.”

According to police, the Villanis died instantly in the crash and were pronounced dead at the scene. It is unknown whether their relatives will file a lawsuit.

The 2022 Flying Spur can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in four seconds and retails for $204,500 to $309,000 new, depending on optional extras.

The couple told friends that in the weeks before the crash there had been a problem with the accelerator pedal.

Bentley recalled a number of car models in 2021 because the accelerator pedals were sticking, raising safety concerns.

The carmaker recalled the Continental GT and Flying Spur models built between 2018 and 2021 in the summer of 2021.

The massive explosion occurred when the car crashed at an immigration checkpoint

The recall reported a manufacturing defect that caused the accelerator pedals to stick when engaged.

“A mismatch between the fuse box and electrical harness may allow the lower A-pillar trim to protrude into the cabin, restricting access to the accelerator pedal,” the warning warned.

‘If the accelerator pedal is fully depressed while driving and is not allowed to return to the rest position, the vehicle will continue to accelerate even if the driver takes his foot off the accelerator pedal.’

In July 1978, Villani’s grandmother, Lorraine, also died in a horrific accident when she was thrown from a boat on the Niagara River at 3 a.m.

The 2022 Flying Spur can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in four seconds and retails for $204,500 to $309,000 new, depending on optional extras

Kurt and 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 several properties in the Grand Island area.