One inmate was caught after a French quarter-feet chase. The other two were later arrested with the help of public tips.
Three of the 10 prisoners who fled the Orleans Judicial Center in New Orleans have been recaptured, and authorities continue to manhunt the remaining seven, law enforcement officials confirmed in an update on May 17.
The breakout occurred early on May 16th. When the man raw the hole behind the toilet, he exited the loading dock door and expanded the boundary wall, then escaped across the interstate.
“The Troopers have been working with local, state and federal partners all night to continue searching for the seven escaped prisoners,” the agency said more than 200 officers were involved in the Manhunt.
The image, provided by Louisiana State Police, shows Kendall Miles, one of the New Orleans prison escapes, taken in the French district of New Orleans on May 16, 2025. Louisiana State Police via the AP
Related Stories
The breakout was found on routine personnel at 8:30am more than seven hours after the man fled the prison. Hatson said it was likely that the prisoners helped escape.
“We acknowledge that if there’s no way people can get out of this facility without some kind of lapse in security,” Hutson told reporters at a briefing Friday. “It’s almost impossible and not perfect, but it’s almost impossible for anyone to get out of this facility without help.”
Hutson said a full-scale investigation is ongoing to determine how inmates escaped prison.
Surveillance footage reviewed by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office showed the breach began around 12:22am.
By about 1am, the inmates had left the loading dock, travelled along a safe boundary road, and later used blankets to expand the barbed wire fence and escaped across the highway to a nearby neighborhood. Investigators later found abandoned clothing believed to belong to the escapee.
The escape route, the hole behind the toilet, was taken with a photo obtained by the Associated Press, and on top of it, Graffiti read an arrow targeting the opening, saying, “Easy lol.”
Photographs showing an opening inside a cell at the Orleans Judicial Center Prison in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 16, 2025. AP Photo
The sheriff’s office said no deputies were assigned to the pod where the fugitives are being held, and said civilian technicians stationed in the pod module left to get food.
The breakout was not even found in the morning staff at 8:30am, and the Attorney General has criticized civil servants for being late notifying the public.
“Someone obviously dropped the ball, but there’s no excuse for this,” Maryle said in a statement. “The top priority for any escape must be to capture prisoners immediately and coordinate with state and local law enforcement agencies, but that effort cannot be brought to the public at the expense of timely notices, which are important to keep our communities safe.”
Murrill asked for a full investigation and pledged that “real accountability” should continue once all escapes are taken into custody.
Three employees have been suspended without pay until they hold off the results of the investigation, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Officials have not said whether there is any suspicion of helping with the escape.
