Update: 8:40 p.m. EST: In a press conference held on Friday evening, authorities provided updates on the New Orleans jailbreak:
The chief showed an enlarged photo of the area in the prison where the inmates made their escape, describing how police believe the 10 men exited the complex. He confirmed that they "have reason to believe that [the inmates] had assistance with [the escape], which they will "thoroughly investigate," adding that "three individuals have been placed on administrative leave" until the investigation is completed.
Major Gibson with the Orleans fire and sheriff's office, who heads the crime victims unit, said that the unit has reached out to all victims of the criminals who escaped, making sure the victims were aware of the situation, while also providing sheriff's deputies at their homes to help ensure their safety. She also pointed people to VINE, an app with tips on how victims and survivors of crime can track offenders, providing other contact information for both that app and the sheriff's office.
The New Orleans FBI spoke about the reward for information leading to the recapture of the inmates.
In response to a media question, Major Gibson would not confirm whether acquaintances or family members of the inmates were thought to be connected to the jailbreak. The chief was unable to explain why no one working in the prison saw, live on the camera footage, when the prisoners escaped. Gibson added that learning the answer to "why" is a part of their investigation, including interviewing employees and residents of the pod
She said, in answering another question about whether prisoners' phone calls were monitored in the days leading up to the escape, that there are 1,400 inmates in the prison--"over the city council, 1,250 limit," she claimed. "Can you monitor every single person, every day? No. we don't have the bodies to do that. But we do monitor, and we do rely on tips." She said there is an intelligence unit that monitors activity in the jail as well.
When the reporter pressed Gibson, saying that it's their job to monitor every individual in the facility, she replied that deputies do that "visually in the pod" where they are stationed.
The chief was asked about ongoing issues at the jail, about which former Sheriff Marlin made disputing remarks. A part of the question was about an alleged $14 million fund, and why it was not used by the facility to repair locks. The chief said that the jail was designed for minimum security inmates, not for the type of violent criminals they currently house, and they are working on segregating those inmates into restrictive housing.
The chief moved on to another reporter's question, instead of answering multiple reporters' questions on whether maintenance contracts exist to better secure the doors.
The chief said that inmates are housed two to a cell, adding that the Department of Corrections has told them that 78 individuals "who have been convicted," who he described as "high security people that [sic] have long sentences," will be taken from the facility by the department.
CFO Bianca Brown approached the media to answer the question on the "$14 million fund related to the 2023 audit," any maintenance contracts, and a new question about reports that some cameras were offline for weeks.
Brown gave a breakdown of how that fund was disbursed, stating that the money "no longer exists." She said that they don't have any money for a maintenance contract. She explained that they have in-house maintenance "day-to-day." She added that they have explained this "on multiple occasions," including at a city planning commission meeting on Monday.
The sheriff explained that they have explored shipping out/outboarding more of the inmates, which they have already done, to ease the issues at the facility. He added that his department is working with 200 partner offices to capture the inmates, "providing critical intel" like the information of monitored phone calls and other information. He said that they have not finished looking through neighborhood camera footage showing the inmates' escape, in order to see if they are still in the orange jump suit prison clothing; he said that it is believed that the inmates shared some of their clothing with each other.
You can watch the full presser below, via Fox News:
WATCH LIVE: Officials provide update after multiple inmates escape from New Orleans jail https://t.co/hMgdLrN2Ww
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 16, 2025
original story
There's troubling news out of New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday, as 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish jail. Initially, it was thought that 11 had escaped, but one of those thought missing had simply been relocated. One of the escapees, Kendall Myles, was captured in the French Quarter following a foot chase. Nine others remain at large and now authorities are asserting this was an inside job.
Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans with the help of people "inside of our department," the sheriff said Friday.
Officials discovered the inmates missing during a routine head count around 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sheriff Susan Hutson said at a news conference, calling it a "very serious and unacceptable situation."
The inmates allegedly started yanking on a cell to pull it off track just before 12:30 a.m., the sheriff said in an update.
"They were able to break open a door," Hutson said, telling reporters that there was an employee in the pod module. "They were still able to exit the jail about 1:01 a.m. after breaching a wall behind a toilet in the jail."
Video surveillance showed the escapees exiting a door on the docks, scaling a wall and running across the interstate, she said.
Photos released by the sheriff's office show the inside of a cell where the escape is believed to have happened. A large hole was cut behind a toilet with phrases such as "We Innocent" and "Too Easy LoL" written above it.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill shared a statement about the incident on X:
Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this. I’m in communication with Troop NOLA and @LAStatePolice Superintendent Colonel Hodges. It’s all hands on deck. The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with… pic.twitter.com/APXD9Gj7UE
— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) May 16, 2025
Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this. I’m in communication with Troop NOLA and @LAStatePolice Superintendent Colonel Hodges. It’s all hands on deck. The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with state and local law enforcement — but that effort cannot come at the expense of timely notification to the public, which is also critical to keeping communities safe. My office will do whatever it takes to determine how this happened and make sure that it won’t happen again. I am calling for a full investigation - This is beyond unacceptable, and once these offenders are back in custody, there must be real accountability.
In a series of tweets, the New Orleans Police Department shared mugshots of the escapees.
🚨ESCAPED INMATES🚨
— New Orleans Police Department (@NOPDNews) May 16, 2025
11 men escaped OPSO custody at the Orleans Parish Jail — 10 remain at large.
If you recognize anyone pictured, DO NOT APPROACH — they may be armed & dangerous.
Call 911 immediately.
ANYONE HELPING THESE ESCAPEES WILL BE ARRESTED & CHARGED AS AN ACCOMPLICE. pic.twitter.com/xxSiwd4gi0
At least four of the escapees are charged with murder.
Murill indicated she has reached out to her fellow attorneys general in the surrounding states so that they can alert law enforcement.
The sheriff's office is also coordinating with state and local law enforcement and urging the public to remain vigilant.
This is a developing story. RedState will provide further details as they become available.
Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at RedState, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.
Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its major wins. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member