Emergency services are pictured attending the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans’ Canal and Bourbon Street on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert).
The start of the New Year in New Orleans turned tragic on Wednesday when a driver, described as being “hellbent” on causing havoc, raced down the famous Bourbon Street with the intent of running over as many individuals as possible, according to officials.
As a result, 10 people died and more than 30 were injured, New Orleans police said.
At approximately 3:17 a.m. on New Year’s Day, amidst the celebrations welcoming 2025, the driver maneuvered onto Bourbon Street from the Canal Street junction, hitting numerous people before colliding with a construction vehicle situated along the 300 block of Bourbon Street. Furthermore, the driver fired a gun at officers who arrived at the scene, injuring two of them. Law enforcement retaliated by returning fire and ultimately fatally shooting the suspect. Thankfully, the wounded officers are reported to be in stable condition.
“It did involve a man driving a pickup truck down Bourbon Street at a very fast pace, and it was very intentional behavior,” New Orleans police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at an early morning news conference. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
The FBI also said at the press conference that the man had improvised explosive devices in the car. A motive for the attack has yet to be released but the FBI said in a statement it was investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism.” The FBI will lead the investigation.
“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning. Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning.
Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene.
I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) January 1, 2025
Jim and Nicole Mowrer, who were visiting the Crescent City from Iowa, described the horror to CBS News.
They said they were in the area when they heard crashing noises. They looked down the street and saw a white truck barreling through a barricade “at a high rate of speed.”
The truck then sped past them and they heard gun shots and cops running in the vehicle’s direction.
“Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of — several people who had been hit,” Nicole Mowrer told CBS News.
The couple said several people had been hit by the truck and they did what they could to help before leaving the area.
The deceased suspect has yet to be identified.
The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
