A high school student recently fell to his death after entering an abandoned high-rise tower in downtown New Orleans with his friends – in an apparent case of urban exploration highlighting the dangers of unaddressed city blight.
New Orleans police said Jacque St Ann, ۱۷, and his friends, of the nearby community of Belle Chasse, Louisiana, traveled into the city and broke into the fenced-off, ۴۵-story Plaza Tower in the central business district, which has stood derelict for years.
They ascended to a higher floor at about midnight on ۱۵ August – and Jacque fell to his death as they tried to descend an interior staircase.
Citing respect for Jacque’s family, police declined to say from what floor he fell.
Local paramedics pronounced Jacque dead at the scene. The coroner’s office gave his cause of death as “blunt force injuries due to fall from height”.
Another in the group was hospitalized because of a deep laceration to an arm and wrist. Police did not disclose how many teens were in the group – and believe some may have left before Jacque fell.
In the aftermath of the death, New Orleans police warned the public against “urban exploring” – which involves entering off-limits, abandoned structures.
They said Plaza Tower’s darkness and deteriorating condition added to a situation that was already highly dangerous.
“This is not a safe building, and this is not a safe place to poke around – and at night, and in the dark in the middle of the night,” Nicholas Gernon, a deputy police superintendent, said at a news conference.
“This is truly a tragic incident – and so no one, kids or adults, should be entering into boarded-up, abandoned buildings, especially when they are secured. Let us make sure we offer our condolences and sympathies to this young man who lost his life,” said Michael Harrison, New Orleans deputy mayor, a former city police superintendent.
Anne Kirkpatrick, a police superintendent, acknowledged how Jacque’s friends, along with his and their families, are “traumatized” – though she also invoked the possibility of trespassing charges after a grieving period.
Furthermore, established urban explorers, who as a hobby enter abandoned or off-limits buildings to photograph and explore them have responded by discouraging young people from going into such structures, as Guardian news-gathering partner WWL Louisiana reported. They say the hobby is replete with physical dangers.
Jacque’s death, meanwhile, has also prompted questions to the owners of Plaza Tower, which has been left to sit in dilapidation for years.
The ۵۸-year-old Plaza Tower has not been used since before Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in ۲۰۰۵. In ۲۰۲۱, debris falling from the building struck a passing cyclist, leading to the installation of protective netting at the site.
City officials identified Alexandria Land & Development LLC – the estate of late New Orleans land magnate Joe Jaeger – as the owner. And they said that entity still has the legal responsibility to secure the privately owned building.
Jaeger bought the Plaza Tower in ۲۰۱۴. But over the years a lack of action led the city to issue fines to Jaeger and obtain a court order for its demolition.
It also attempted to work with him on redevelopment plans before his death in a car accident in June ۲۰۲۴.
Meanwhile, potential sales of the building complicated the pathway to demolition, which would cost an estimated $۲۵m to ۲۸m. Redevelopment plans have also stalled amid struggles to secure financing.
In a statement, the administration of the New Orleans mayor, Helena Moreno, pledged to continue taking steps to secure the safety and security of the building – as well as “working to support [its] the redevelopment … which will return Plaza Tower to commerce and will be essential to the long-term safety and vibrancy of the site”.
The city said it also was still conducting a study to obtain a “Difficult to Develop Area” designation for the building, which would support the financing of a potential housing-related redevelopment.
The mayoral administration’s statement said it “would like to see” the beginning of construction on such a project by the middle of ۲۰۲۷.
Yet there was no immediate “specific timeline for redevelopment, or requirement to redevelop or demolish the property”, the mayoral administration said. “This is a privately owned property.”
Additionally, New Orleans police said they would temporarily increase patrols around Plaza Tower. “The administration is in touch and has been in touch with the ownership. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that this abandoned building is secure and that no one can enter it. There have been issues in the past about the security of the building,” Harrison said.
Kirkpatrick said that her “understanding is that there is security provided but I can’t tell you that it was there at the time because obviously the kids got in”.
The owner could “possibly” face charges for failing to secure the property, she added, but that would be looked at a later date.
A statement shared on Facebook on behalf of Jacque’s family said, “We miss our boy more than words could ever express.
“Our hearts want nothing more than to have him back with us. We love him beyond measure, and that love will never end.”
Jacque’s school, Belle Chasse high, said, “Jacque was an outstanding student and, more importantly, an exceptional young man who made a lasting impact on those around him … His absence will be felt deeply by … everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
The school district which governs Belle Chasse high also said it would make counselors available for students and staff through the upcoming week.
WWL Louisiana contributed reporting
