It was exactly 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day, 2025. Most people on Bourbon Street were just trying to find their friends or a late-night slice of pizza when the world basically exploded. A white Ford F-150 Lightning—a heavy, silent electric truck—came screaming down the sidewalk, bypassing police barricades that honestly should have stopped it.
You’ve probably seen some of the clips by now. The New Orleans truck attack videos that started circulating on social media minutes after the crash are difficult to watch, showing a three-block stretch of absolute chaos between Canal and Conti streets.
It wasn't just a car accident. This was a calculated act of domestic terrorism that left 14 innocent people dead and over 50 others injured. The perpetrator, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, didn't just stop after the crash; he climbed out of that truck wearing body armor and started a shootout with the New Orleans Police Department.
The Footage That Changed the Investigation
When the FBI took over the lead, they didn't just look at bystander TikToks. They actually released a series of videos that paint a much more chilling picture of the planning involved. One of the most bizarre details is that Jabbar actually visited the French Quarter months before, on October 31 and November 10.
He didn't just walk around. He wore Meta smart glasses.
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The FBI later released snippets of this "first-person" reconnaissance footage. You can see the street through his eyes as he bicycled through the crowds, scouting out the exact path he’d eventually take. It’s haunting to see the holiday decorations and happy tourists in the background of a video recorded by someone planning a massacre.
The Allegiance Videos
Hours before the attack, Jabbar uploaded five separate videos to social media. In these, he explicitly pledged allegiance to ISIS. He wasn't some foreign operative sent from overseas, though. He was a U.S. Army veteran from Texas.
The FBI’s Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia noted that while the videos used the "war between believers and disbelievers" rhetoric, there was no evidence Jabbar actually had accomplices. He was what we call a "self-radicalized" lone actor.
Why the Truck Attack Videos Still Matter in 2026
We are a year removed from the tragedy, and the conversation has shifted toward how a massive electric truck was able to bypass "heavy" security. The Ford F-150 Lightning used in the attack was a rental from the Turo app. Because it’s an EV, it was heavy—weighing nearly 6,500 pounds—and almost silent as it accelerated.
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New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick admitted later that the steel barricades meant to protect Bourbon Street actually malfunctioned that night. They weren't raised. Jabbar knew this, or at least saw the opening, and drove right onto the sidewalk to get around a parked police SUV.
- 14 victims lost their lives.
- 57 people were injured (52 by the truck, 5 by gunfire).
- 2 pipe bombs were found in coolers nearby, which Jabbar had placed earlier at 2:00 a.m.
The videos of him placing those coolers were caught on CCTV. If those bombs had gone off via the remote transmitter found in his truck, the death toll would have been significantly higher.
Dealing with Misinformation Online
If you go searching for these videos today, you're going to find a lot of junk. There are "re-creations" and fake thumbnails all over YouTube. Honestly, the most reliable footage remains the evidence clips released by the FBI and the verified news segments from outlets like CBS and NBC.
There were also rumors about a "second driver" or a "bombing at a rental house." While it’s true Jabbar tried to burn down a rental house in New Orleans before the attack, the fire went out on its own. There was no second attacker.
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The Victims’ Legacy
It's easy to get caught up in the "true crime" aspect of the footage, but the names behind the numbers are what really matter. People like LaTasha Polk and Terrence Kennedy were just locals enjoying their city. Others, like 18-year-old Kareem Badawi, were just starting their adult lives.
The city has since overhauled its security. If you go to Bourbon Street today, you’ll see much more "aggressive" physical barriers. They’ve replaced the malfunctioning pop-up bollards with heavy-duty permanent fixtures and more strategically placed "blocker" vehicles.
What You Can Do Now
If you are looking for specific information regarding the investigation or want to see the official updates, the FBI still maintains a digital tip line and a resource page for the Bourbon Street attack.
- Verify the source before sharing any "newly leaked" footage; most of it is old or manipulated.
- Support the victims through the official New Orleans community funds that were established in the wake of the tragedy.
- Report suspicious activity to the FBI’s 1-800-CALL-FBI line if you ever see someone conducting "dry runs" or surveillance of crowded events with recording gear.
Understanding the timeline of the New Orleans truck attack is about more than just watching a video. It’s about recognizing the shift in how domestic threats look in the 2020s—using everyday technology like rental apps and smart glasses to plan something horrific. Staying informed through official channels like the FBI’s investigative updates is the only way to cut through the noise of the internet.