Early Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revelers, a white pickup truck recklessly plowed into the crowd, killing at least 15 people. Among the victims were Tiger Bech, a former Princeton football player and All-Ivy League kick returner, an 18-year-old girl, a mother, a father and more. (More Sports News)
Victims Of New Orleans Attack
Tiger Bech
A former high school and college football player from Louisiana was among those who died after a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter, according to an education official.
Tiger Bech, 27, died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media outlets citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Bech attended the high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, NOLA.com reported.
Bech played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently he was working as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.
Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting with Bech's father, sharing memories of the player, who was a school kick returner and receiver from 2017 to 2019. He earned All-Ivy League honors as a returner.
“He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor,” Surace told ESPN. The school's nickname is the Tigers. “He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life.”
Bech has been working at Seaport Global, where company spokesperson Lisa Lieberman could not confirm his death. But she told The Associated Press that “he was extremely well regarded by everybody who knew him.” Bech's younger brother, Jack, is a top wide receiver at Texas Christian University.
In a response to a KLFY-TV report posted on X about Tiger Bech's death, a post from an account for a Jack Bech on the social media site said: “Love you always brother ! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don't worry. This is for us.”
An 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revellers early Wednesday morning.
Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year's Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement late Wednesday that they will release the names of the dead once autopsies are complete and they've talked with the next of kin. About 30 people were injured.
Nikyra Dedeaux
ion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year's Eve at his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse.
“A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet and I was just lucky to be alive."
As the crowd scattered in the chaos he ran through a gruesome aftermath of bleeding and maimed victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said. “People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I've ever seen.”
Dedeaux was a responsible daughter -- shorter than all her siblings but the one who helped take care of everyone, Parsons said. Dedeaux had a job at a hospital and was set to start college and begin working towards her goal of becoming a registered nurse.
“She had her mindset -- she didn't have everything figured out but she had the plan laid down,” Parsons said.
Reggie Hunter
A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among the 10 people killed early Wednesday when a pickup truck careened down Bourbon Street in what officials called an act of terror.
Reggie Hunter had just left work and headed to celebrate New Year's with a cousin when the attack happened, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.
Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.
Nicole Perez
Nicole Perez was a single mother to a 4-year-old son working hard to make life better for her family when she was killed in the New Orleans truck attack, according to her employer.
Perez, who was in her late 20s, was recently promoted to manager at Kimmy's Deli in Metarie, Louisiana and “was really excited about it,” deli owner Kimberly Usher said in a phone interview with AP.
Usher confirmed Perez's death through her sister, who also works for her. Usher said Perez would walk in the morning to the deli, which opened at breakfast time, and would ask lots of questions about the business side of the operations.
She also was permitted to bring her son, Melo, to work, where during breaks she taught him basic learning skills. “She was a really good mom,” said Usher, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Perez's burial costs and to help with expenses for her son that “he will need to transition into a new living situation,” the donation request says.
All You Need To Know About The New Orleans Attack
What happened?
Police said the driver steered around a police blockade and raced through a crowd along Bourbon Street around 3.15 am on Wednesday as revellers gathered to celebrate the New Year. At least 10 people were killed and 33 were injured and taken to five local hospitals. Two police officers wounded in the shootout with the suspect were in stable condition.
Authorities also found potential explosive devices in the French Quarter, the FBI said. Surveillance footage showed three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
Who is the driver and what was his motive?
The FBI said the driver was 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran from Texas. A flag representing the Islamic State group was found on the vehicle's trailer hitch, the FBI said. The bureau is trying to determine if Jabbar was associated with any terrorist organisations.
Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office, said during a news conference that the agency does not believe Jabbar acted alone.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did” and he tried “to run over as many people as he could.”
What have authorities found in their investigation?
Guns and pipe bombs were found in the suspect's vehicle, according to the State Police bulletin. The devices were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation with a remote control that also was found in the vehicle, the bulletin said.
Who was in the crowd?
Authorities said Bourbon Street was filled with revellers toasting the start of 2025 when the attack occurred. Crowds in New Orleans also ballooned in anticipation of the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game between No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame. That game was postponed until Thursday night.
What protections are there for pedestrians on Bourbon Street?
City documents show New Orleans has been in the midst of a major project to remove and replace post-like barriers called bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street. That project began in November and involves replacing old bollards with new removable stainless-steel bollards.
Have there been similar deadly attacks involving vehicles?
Wednesday's attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon to carry out mass violence. The trend has alarmed law enforcement officials because such attacks can be difficult to protect against. Last month, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor ploughed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.
(With AP inputs)
