Couple killed in Rainbow Bridge car explosion named as Kurt and Monica Villani

The couple killed in a fiery crash on Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday have been named as Kurt and Monica Villani. 

The couple, both 53, were named by Niagara Falls Police Department on Friday. 

The pair had been on their way to a KISS concert when the incident occurred, sparking fears of a terror attack and shutting down the border crossing for hours. 

It remains unconfirmed what exactly led to the accident. The pair were in a Bentley being driven by Mr. Villani. 

 The crash set off fears of an attempted terror attack although New York Governor Kathy Hochul has since confirmed that there is no evidence of this. The governor referred to the victims as 'local individuals.' 

Villani and his wife were residents of Grand Island, New York, less than ten miles south of where the crash took place. They were 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 Sabres' organization.

Police have said that the couple were seen leaving the Seneca Niagara Casino, close to the border crossing, before crashing. 

On Thursday, members of the community on Grand Island paid tribute to the pair as a generous and thoughtful couple.

'You know, just plowing everybody's driveway for the love of it, you know what I mean? Just always willing to help and lend a hand. Always. always, always. They were just so very, kind wonderful people,' said resident Mary Meyer.

Chuck Meyer added: 'Without ever being asked, they would just be giving and gifting, and that's the type of people we lost.'

Kurt and his son, 26-year-old Kurt Jr., were also celebrated by local news outlets in 2014 after giving out 250 turkeys on Thanksgiving. It is 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 took place. The chain began with Villani's father, Kurt M. Villani, in 1986. 

In 2015, the family's business made headlines across the region when they were exonerated following a lengthy investigation by revenue authorities in which they were found to have 'overpaid' on some taxes rather than 'underpaid,' as had been alleged. 

Wednesday's incident is not the first time that an 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 flung from a boat that was traveling along the Niagara River at 3am. 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 not have been properly illuminated, for $120,000 in 1984. 

Online records show that the Villani family owns a range of properties in the Grand Island-area.