A 17-year-old boy died after falling through an unsecured stairwell in the abandoned Plaza Tower in downtown New Orleans on August 15. The teenager had entered the 45-floor building with friends on the night of the incident.
According to a New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) log, the group had been consuming alcohol. While attempting to descend the stairs, the victim fell. NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick stated that the teenagers illegally entered the fenced-off skyscraper and climbed to an upper floor. The interior staircase they used reportedly lacked safety railings.
Kirkpatrick noted that the exact floor from which the victim fell is still under investigation, describing the details as "fluid." She added that the incident involved trespassing into a secured area and that charges would be addressed later, emphasizing that all the young people involved were traumatized.
Emergency services responded to a 911 call from inside the building around 12:04 a.m. on Saturday. They found the teenager deceased. One of his friends sustained deep lacerations to an arm and wrist.
Deputy Mayor Michael Harrison called the incident "truly tragic" and urged both children and adults to avoid entering boarded-up, abandoned buildings, especially those that are secured. Harrison acknowledged the building’s history of issues, noting that its owners are responsible for its security. "It is very unsafe, as we’ve seen overnight," he said.
Kirkpatrick indicated it was her understanding that the building owners were responsible for providing on-site security, but she could not confirm if security was present at the time of the incident.
The Plaza Tower has been vacant since before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Reports suggest Lincoln Area Capital signed an agreement in July 2025 to purchase the building, with plans to convert it into senior housing, but has not yet closed financing.
The Plaquemines Parish School District confirmed the deceased was one of their students and stated that counselors would be available to support students and staff. The district has not released further information as the investigation is ongoing.