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, 17, and his friends, of the nearby community of Belle Chasse, Louisiana, traveled into the city and broke into the fenced-off, 45-story Plaza Tower in the central business district, which has stood derelict for years. They ascended to a higher floor at about midnight on 15 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. 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 58-year-old Plaza Tower has not been used 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 Alexandria Land & Development LLC – the estate of late New Orleans land magnate Joe Jaeger – as the owner.
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