A 17-year-old is dead after falling inside an abandoned high-rise in New Orleans while exploring it in the middle of the night with friends, police said.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the teenagers were doing “a little urban exploring” and gained entry to the Plaza Tower, an abandoned building in the Central Business District, close to midnight on Friday, Aug. 14.
The building is private property and not city-owned, according to Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick said the teens had gone up to a “higher floor” and were in an inside stairwell, which didn’t have any railings, when one of the teens fell and died.
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After a 9-1-1 call came in at around 12:04 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, Kirkpatrick said EMS was the first to gain access to the building and treated another teen who had “lacerations to his arms and needed immediate attention.”
The teens were about 16 to 17 years old, according to Kirkpatrick. The exact number of teens at the scene was not disclosed. The deceased teen was 17 years old, according to WWLTV, KRCR7, WVUE-DT, and WDSU. The victim’s identity has not been disclosed, though authorities shared that the deceased teen was from Belle Chasse, La.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Michael Harrison said “this is truly a tragic incident” and stressed that “no one should be entering into boarded-up abandoned buildings.”
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Harrison said his team has been in contact with the building’s owner to ensure it is secure and that no one can enter.
“We wanna admonish the youth of this city, everybody, not to enter abandoned buildings, not to celebrate, not to explore,” said Harrison. “It is very unsafe as what we’ve seen.”
When answering reporters’ questions, Kirkpatrick was asked whether the teenagers would face trespassing charges, which she said would be determined later.
“This is a day of grieving,” she said. “We will address that at a later time, but again, like the deputy mayor said, there are a group of kids and so all of them are grieving along with this family.”
“Trespassing would be an appropriate charge, but that’s something we’re going to address later,” she added.
Kirkpatrick said officials are going to look into whether alcohol was a factor in the incident but said each of the teenagers and their families are “traumatized.”
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The Plaquemines Parish School District released a statement to WDSU expressing that it was “heartbroken by the sudden and tragic loss of one of our students.”
“Our deepest condolences are with the student’s family, friends, classmates, teachers and all those affected by this devastating loss,” the statement continued. “Counselors and support personnel will be available to assist students and staff as our school community grieves.”
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“We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the student’s family and refrain from sharing any speculation during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said. “Because this remains an active investigation, the district will not release any additional information or comment on the circumstances surrounding the student’s passing.”
