A year to the day, the investigation into the New Year’s Day Kodak theater explosion is officially closed. But there are still several questions about the car bomb driver that ultimately claimed the lives of three innocent people, including an Ontario County woman.
Justina Hughes of Geneva and Joshua Orr of Webster were riding in a ride-share car after a Moe concert when the car was hit by a vehicle driven by Michael Avery of Syracuse. The car was packed with 19 gas canisters. A pedestrian was also killed.
Hughes worked at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
The FBI has closed the investigation.
As for the investigation into why this happened, the FBI told News 8 that it’s coming to close and emailed over this statement:
“With tomorrow marking one year since the tragic Kodak Center vehicle collision, the FBI sends our deepest condolences to family and friends of the victims. These lives were taken unfairly too soon. Over the past year, the FBI has diligently investigated this case. The FBI recognizes many want to “why” this incident occurred; however, our findings have not changed. We have uncovered no evidence of an ideology and no nexus of terrorism. What happened on January 1, 2024, was a horrible, senseless incident. We grieve with all of Rochester. The FBI will continue to assist the Rochester Police Department and our law enforcement partners with this investigation. As always, anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI by calling 1800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
