TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) –People in the Town of Tonawanda are shaken after Friday night’s car crash that killed two people and hurt three others.
“It was really sad to see people screaming and cars banged up there was debris all over the street,” Co-owner of Olympic Restaurant Kelly Scouras said.
Town of Tonawanda Police say the six vehicle crash happened on Sheridan Dr. and Military Rd. at 10:50 p.m. Friday night.
Police say 21-year-old Tyler Lichtenberger and 21-year-old Gianna Ameno of North Tonawanda died at the scene. The two people killed were in the same car. The three other people hurt are expected to survive.
Scouras says two of her regulars were among those in the crash.
“We were actually waiting for customers that come from the bowling alley, they’re always our last table,” Scouras said. “One of the gentlemen that was here, he was waiting for the rest of his party, and we happened to look and noticed that two of the cars that got hit were part of the group that was coming to eat.”
Alexis Black works at a nearby Super 8 Motel. She said hearing that this happened so close to her job is unsettling.
“Just knowing that I have friends who actually know the victims who passed away is very devastating for their family,” Black said. “I know it did a number on this hotel. Everyone was outside trying to figure out what was going on. That’s pretty much how I heard about it coming in this morning. Everyone was talking about it. Would just not stop talking about it.”
Town of Tonawanda Assistant Chief of Police Nicholas Bado says crews are treating the crash as a potential criminal investigation.
“It appears some sort of activity initiated in Buffalo,” said Bado, “Exactly what that is, I can’t say pursuit, or what the nature of it was, but it appears to have originated coming from that direction. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Military when it reached this intersection and the collision occurred.”
“The two fatalities don’t appear to be other motorists. They appear to be related to the vehicle in question here that caused the collision,” said Bado.
The accident is being investigated by the Town of Tonawanda Police Department’s Accident Investigation Unit and the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Town of Tonawanda Police Department at (716) 879-6614 or the confidential tip line at (716) 879-6606.
