Truck Attack on Bourbon Street Kills 10; Barriers Down for Replacement Ahead of Super Bowl

Jan 1, 2025, 04:28 PM

On New Year's Eve, a terror attack occurred in New Orleans when a man drove a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, resulting in at least 10 fatalities. Witnesses reported that hydraulic steel barriers, installed after previous vehicle attacks—including a 2017 incident when a drunk driver injured over 20 people—were not in place during the attack. The barriers, typically raised between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., had been removed in November for replacement ahead of Super Bowl LIX in February, leaving only temporary flimsy orange barriers. The absence of these barricades allowed the attacker to access the crowded street, with reports indicating he drove around a police car to do so. City officials confirmed that the security bollards were under construction at the time of the incident.