A 35-year-old suspect who plowed an SUV full of gasoline canisters into a crowd of New Year's Eve revelers outside a concert in upstate New York died overnight, police in the city of Rochester said on Tuesday.
Authorities have not identified a motive or any link to terrorism that could have prompted the suspect, Michael Avery, to carry out the attack that killed 2 people and injured nine early on Monday, said Rochester Police Chief David Smith at a briefing. Conversations with his family suggested he might have had "undiagnosed mental health issues," Smith said.
The FBI and Rochester police investigated a car crash that occurred at about 12:50 a.m. in Rochester, New York on New Year's Eve, after one of the vehicles involved was found to have at least a dozen cans of gasoline inside it, causing a major fire.
The investigation is being led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, although authorities do not yet know whether this was in fact terrorism. The location of the crash, near the city's Kodak Center, which was hosting a concert, has added to the speculation that it may have been connected to a terrorist effort.
FAILED New Year’s Eve TERRORIST ATTACK in Rochester, NY.A look at the scene of a head-on collision on West Ridge Rd. - Just outside the Kodak Performing Arts Center. [@Kodak_Center] 16 gas containers set aside as part of the investigation. pic.twitter.com/0YdY4HEKZR
— Marky Hutt (@MarkyHutt3) January 1, 2024
Was there a failed terror attack in Rochester, New York on New Year's Eve?
The driver is from Syracuse, ABC News reported, and drove his own car to the Syracuse Airport, where he rented the SUV that was involved in the incident. He suffered life-threatening injuries during the crash, according to USA Today.
Two passengers in the car that he struck, a Mitsubishi Outlander, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The fire caused by the crash took almost an hour to control, according to USA Today. Following the crash, the cars struck several pedestrians, one of whom was in critical condition Monday morning.
Viewer discretion is advised: Here’s dash camera video of the beginning of the scene. You can see a person getting out of a vehicle in flames before falling to the ground on West Ridge Road. pic.twitter.com/aHJpvEvx6q
— Geoffery Rogers (@GeofferyRogers) January 1, 2024
Geoffery Rogers, a local journalist, said on the social network X that witnesses to the crash said that the car was speeding before it ran over pedestrians and crashed, telling him "it seemed like a terrorist attack."