Reward increased for capture of escaped New Orleans inmates as 7 remain
on the lam
[May 19, 2025]
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — Officials increased the reward for
the capture of seven inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail by
fleeing through a hole behind a toilet as at least a dozen law
enforcement agencies pressed their expansive search for the men for a
third day on Sunday.
FBI Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said at a news conference that seven of
the 10 men who originally escaped on Friday are still at large and that
the FBI is offering $10,000 per inmate instead of the $5,000 previously
announced. He said he believes members of the public may be aiding the
men, and authorities will arrest those found aiding or abetting them.
The men range in age from 19 to 42 and face a variety of charges
including aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery and murder.
The FBI reward is in addition to $5,000 rewards offered by the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and $2,000 from CrimeStoppers.
A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police said that the agency was
unable to provide details about the scope and target of the
investigation for security reasons. The spokesperson added that a
multiagency task force was scouring the region for the remaining
fugitives.
In a separate statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on
Sunday her office's “main priority remains recovering the prisoners,
protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility staff, and
building."
At least one of the escaped inmates was captured based on a tip from the
public, according to a statement from the FBI on the social media
platform X.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick warned
that the fugitives are dangerous in a news conference on Friday night
but also urged the public “not to panic.”
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out of
the Orleans Justice Center because of “defective locks.” Hutson said she
has continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as
recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the aged
infrastructure.
“This massive jail break could be the largest jail break in the history
of the state, and it never should have happened. The public deserves to
know who, what and how this happened,” Gov. Jeff Landry said at the
Sunday news conference.
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This photo obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, May 16, 2025,
shows an opening inside a cell at the Orleans Justice Center in New
Orleans. (AP Photo)
 Landry said an audit of the jail by the Department
of Corrections will be done by the end of the week. He said everyone
in the criminal justice system needs to be held accountable “except
for the police, who seem to be doing their job.”
Landry cited delays in bringing charges against people accused of
crimes, prosecutions and in sentencing as factors he said contribute
to jail populations.
He blamed Friday's escape on what he called a “progressive justice
system,” saying that “there is also no excuse for the way these
cases are currently being mismanaged in our criminal justice
system.”
Landry declined to comment on whether the escape was an inside job
or how it happened.
On Friday, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were
able to get out of the Orleans Justice Center because of “defective
locks,” and possibly with help from people inside her department.
“It’s almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for
anybody to get out of this facility without help,” she said of the
jail where 1,400 people are being held.
The escape is drawing intense scrutiny and opprobrium. It took hours
for sheriff’s officials to learn of the escape and then more time
still to alert New Orleans police, even though some of the missing
inmates are accused of violent offenses and they escaped into a
neighborhood less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city’s famous
French Quarter.
Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Robert Hodges said
authorities in neighboring states have been notified but that
officials do not believe the men have left the state yet. Leads for
the men have not panned out, he said.
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