A suspected “emotionally disturbed” New York man crashed a car into an Uber leaving a concert in Rochester on New Year’s Eve, leaving two dead and more injured.
At around 12:50 a.m., Michael Avery, 35, from Syracuse, drove a rented Ford Expedition, a large SUV, toward a crowd leaving a rock concert by the band Moe at the Kodak Center. About 1,000 people were leaving the venue.
Avery crashed into an Uber carrying a couple, who both died, according to police. The Uber driver survived and was transported to the hospital.
The cars also hit three pedestrians and injured a total of nine people.
“The force of the collision caused the two vehicles to go through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk and then into two other vehicles,” Police Chief David Smith said at a press conference Monday.
Both cars erupted into flames, and it took the fire department close to an hour to put out the fire.
Police found at least a dozen gasoline canisters in Avery’s car and on the ground in the area. The bomb squad and the joint arson task force both responded to the scene.
The crash was investigated as potential domestic terrorism — although, so far, authorities said they have found no evidence it was an act of terror. Police Chief Smith said they had found no evidence that Avery acted on “political or social biases.”
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“So far we’ve uncovered no evidence of an ideology and no nexus to terrorism, either international or domestic,” FBI agent Jeremy Bell said Tuesday at a news conference.
Avery died of his injuries at the hospital around 8 p.m. on Monday.
Police reportedly searched his hotel room in Rochester and found a suicide note and journal, although it is not yet clear what information those items contained.
“Obviously I would have been liking to stand at this podium to deliver ‘Happy New Year’ and smile and say good news. But unfortunately today we don’t have good news because we have several individuals whose families’ lives are changed because they will not be here to bring in 2024,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said at Monday’s press conference.
Avery’s family members told police they suspected he had bipolar disorder, although he had never been diagnosed.
The suspect had not had any prior contact with law enforcement, police said.
The rock band performing at the concert venue released a statement expressing their “profound shock and sadness” at the deadly incident.