New Orleans teenager dies in fall from abandoned Plaza Tower

Police warn against urban exploration after teen’s fatal fall in derelict tower

New Orleans police said 17-year-old Jacque St Ann and friends from Belle Chasse, Louisiana traveled into the city and broke into the fenced-off Plaza Tower in the central business district. They ascended to a higher floor around midnight on August 15, and Jacque fell to his death as the group tried to descend an interior staircase. Local paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

The coroner’s office gave his cause of death as “blunt force injuries due to fall from height.” Citing respect for the family, police declined to say from what floor he fell. Another member of the group was hospitalized with a deep laceration to an arm and wrist; police did not disclose how many teens were in the group and said they believe some may have left before Jacque fell.

At a news conference, Deputy Police Superintendent Nicholas Gernon described the tower’s darkness and deteriorating condition as adding to an already dangerous situation. “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,” Gernon said.

Deputy Mayor Michael Harrison, a former city police superintendent, called the death “truly tragic” and said that “no one, kids or adults, should be entering into boarded-up, abandoned buildings, especially when they are secured.” Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick acknowledged that Jacque’s friends and families are “traumatized” but said trespassing charges could be considered after a grieving period.

Established urban explorers — hobbyists who enter abandoned or off-limits buildings to photograph and explore them — also discouraged young people from entering such structures, according to WWL Louisiana, a Guardian news-gathering partner. They said the hobby is replete with physical dangers.

The 58-year-old Plaza Tower has stood empty since before Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. In 2021, debris falling from the building struck a passing cyclist, leading to the installation of protective netting at the site.

City officials identified the owner as Alexandria Land & Development LLC, the estate of late New Orleans land magnate Joe Jaeger. Jaeger bought the building in 2014. The city issued fines to Jaeger over the years and obtained a court order for its demolition, and attempted to work with him on redevelopment plans before his death in a car accident in June 2024. Potential sales of the building complicated the path to demolition, which the city estimated would cost $25 million to $28 million, and redevelopment plans have stalled amid struggles to secure financing.

In a statement, the administration of New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno pledged to continue taking steps to secure the building and to support redevelopment that would “return Plaza Tower to commerce and will be essential to the long-term safety and vibrancy of the site.” The city said it was studying a “Difficult to Develop Area” designation for the building to support financing of a potential housing-related redevelopment and that it would “like to see” construction begin by mid-2027. There was no immediate timeline for redevelopment or demolition, and no requirement to redevelop or demolish the property, the mayoral administration said: “This is a privately owned property.”

New Orleans police said they would temporarily increase patrols around Plaza Tower. Harrison said the administration had been in contact with the ownership and that securing the building remained the owner’s responsibility. “There have been issues in the past about the security of the building,” he said. Kirkpatrick said her understanding was that security was provided at the building but could not confirm it was in place at the time, and that the owner could “possibly” face charges for failing to secure the property, though that would be examined later.

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 School, 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 that governs Belle Chasse High said it would make counselors available for students and staff through the upcoming week.