Heartbreaking moment before young girl was hit by New Orleans attacker on Bourbon Street

A little girl was seen dancing just before she was mowed down by a terrorist in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, a witness revealed. 

A white Ford SUV driven by Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, plowed into crowds celebrating the arrival of 2025 in New Orleans’ French Quarter at around 3:15 am local time, resulting in 15 fatalities and 35 others sustaining injuries, according to a report by NOLA.com.

Jimmy Cothran, an eyewitness to the tragic event, described the horrifying scene he confronted, detailing the sight of bodies that had been crushed by Jabbar, a US citizen hailing from Texas, as ‘horribly disfigured’ and ‘twisted’.

Cothran, who has been a resident of New Orleans for 15 years, recounted his experience to NBC News, mentioning how he sought refuge on a nightclub balcony as the dreadful incident unfolded, observing a rapid succession of eight bodies strewn on the street within a matter of ‘just a couple seconds’.

One of those bodies belonged to a little girl that Cothran said he saw enjoying the New Year celebration before she was left on the ground ‘as flat as a pillow’. 

‘A little girl that we had seen dancing as we were walking up the street was as flat as a pillow. I mean, it just kept going,’ Cothran recalled. ‘Every eye shot – body, body, body, body, body. It was unbelievable.’ 

Further details on the girl’s identity and whether she survived the attack have not yet been shared. 

A little girl was seen dancing just before she was tragically mowed down by a terrorist, Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42,  in New Orleans early New Years Day

Fifteen people were killed and 35 injured after Jabbar (pictured) drove a white Ford SUV into pedestrians ringing in 2025 in New Orleans’ French Quarter around 3.15am local time 

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with officers after he exited his vehicle and started shooting, injuring two NOLA police officers who are in stable condition

Cothran, who compared the nightmarish scene to a movie, said he also witnessed a mother ‘obviously deceased’ and a man with multiple tire tracks across his body. 

‘Dead right in front of us was someone’s mother, twisted, obviously deceased,’ he said, adding that she was ‘horribly disfigured’.

‘One man, deceased, had tire tracks across his back, and then when someone turned him over, he had tire tracks across his stomach and he was clearly crushed.’

Two Israeli citizens were among at least 35 that were injured in the terror attack. None of the victims have yet been identified.

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with officers after he exited his vehicle and started shooting, injuring two NOLA police officers who are in stable condition. 

Ambulances transported the wounded to five area hospitals, the city added, and the FBI have taken over the ongoing investigation. 

The FBI has formally confirmed they are investigating the tragedy ‘as an act of terrorism’ after New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell said she had spoken to the White House about what she described as a ‘terrorist attack’.

The truck used to kill 15 in the massacre came into the US from Mexico through Eagle Pass, Texas, over a month ago, Fox News reported. It was earlier misreported as two days ago by the outlet.

One reveler, Jimmy Cothran, shared the horrific scenes he witnessed, including ‘horribly disfigured’ and ‘twisted’ bodies that were run over by the unidentified male driver

The vehicle was rented from Turo – a car sharing app. Another 42-year-old man who listed it lives in Houston and ‘has already been contacted by federal investigators,’ ABC 13 reported.

Following the horrific tragedy, an image of what appears to be a flagpole on the back of the unidentified driver’s truck circulated online, sparking mass speculation.

Photos taken after the collision show what appears to be a metallic gray jacket wrapped around a flagpole, but a video shot earlier in the morning showed what appears to be a black flag dangling from the same ‘pole’. 

The vehicle was reportedly carrying an ISIS flag and a chest with explosives inside it.

Guns and pipe bombs were also located inside the truck, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. 

The devices were contained in coolers and wire for remote detonation. A remoted control was also discovered inside the vehicle, the bulletin detailed. 

Further potential explosive devices were also found in the French Quarter, and surveillance footage caught three other men and one woman planting the bombs around New Orleans. 

‘We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,’ Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent with the FBI’s New Orleans field officer said in at a news conference. 

Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser told WDBU officials are probing if the attack was connected to ISIS and if the flag displayed on the back of the truck was connected to the group.

Authorities investigating the ‘mass casualty incident’ say the driver showed ‘very intentional behavior’ after driving into crowds before they got out and fired a weapon.

A picture circulated online of what appeared to be a flag pole with a gray object resembling a coat wrapped around it (pictured)

Officials said an improvised explosive device was found in the area. Around 8.30am a ‘small explosion’ went off in the quarter. It was detonated by the bomb squad, WLWT’s Steven Albritton reported.

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the suspect was ‘hellbent on creating carnage.’ No information about his identity has been released. 

Videos circulating on social media showed a chaotic scene at the tourist hotspot as people ran from the casualty-strewn area while bullets rang out in the background. 

Other witnesses claim the suspect was ‘wearing full body armor’ and ‘armed with an assault rifle’, and officials said he was ‘trying to run over as many people as he possibly could’.

Dozens of police officers responded to what authorities have declared a ‘mass casualty event’ and a portion of the road has been cordoned off. Paramedics, ambulances and vehicles from the coroner’s office were also seen at the scene. 

At a press conference, Cantrell described the incident as a ‘terrorist attack.’ At first, the FBI said that it was not linked to terrorism – before later confirming that the mass fatality indeed is being investigated as such. 

President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday morning stating that ‘The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans.’

‘When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,’ he wrote.

Ambulances transported the wounded to five area hospital, the city added, and the FBI have taken over the ongoing investigation 

‘The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.

‘The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!’

President Joe Biden also shared a statement, saying that he has told his team ‘to ensure every resource is available’ to New Orleans, and that ‘there is no justification for violence of any kind.’

‘I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind.

‘I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share. In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday.

‘There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities,’ Biden said.