New Year’s Eve celebrations began in the French Quarter of New Orleans but ended in terror. While visitors rang in 2025, an attack took place on Bourbon Street in the early morning hours of January 1, 2025. At least 10 people were killed and dozens more were injured after a person ran a white pickup truck with a black flag into a crowd of people. Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the incident a “terrorist attack” in a statement.
Find out what happened in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve and see updates about the suspect below.
Was There a Shooting in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve?
A gun case was discovered in the back of the suspect’s pickup truck. However, the incident was not a mass shooting — it was a car attack, which authorities are calling a terrorist attack.
According to The Guardian, the driver of the truck had a rifle and body armor during the attack.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell describes incident in which vehicle struck crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 10 people and injuring 30 others, as a “terrorist attack.”
The strike appears to be intentional, police told ABC News. pic.twitter.com/kLw01y20al
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 1, 2025
Bourbon Street Car Attack Details
Amid New Orleans’ annual New Year’s Eve celebrations, a suspect plowed through a crowd of visitors and residents before being fatally shot by police, the FBI said in a statement. Photos from the scene showed the truck crashed into a crane in the street.
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others,” the statement read, per the New York Post. “The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
Bourbon Street Suspect
The suspect was shot dead by police after killing multiple people. Two officers were injured as a result of the confrontation between law enforcement and the truck driver. The identity of the suspect has not been publicly disclosed, but pictures from the crime scene revealed that the pickup truck had Texas vehicle plates.
It’s unknown if the suspect had any accomplices, but it’s believed that this was a solo act of violence.
According to multiple outlets, Police Chief Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said in a statement, “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. [The driver] was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
