In a stunning and alarming breach of prison security, ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans in the early hours of Friday morning, triggering a massive manhunt across Louisiana.
This daring escape was not a spontaneous act of desperation but a calculated and coordinated operation that exploited deep-rooted infrastructure and staffing failures.
Inmates broke through a bathroom wall in their cell, dismantled fixtures, and managed to climb their way out of the facility — a feat that has raised serious questions about the condition and management of what was once considered a modern, state-of-the-art detention center.
The escape unfolded in the dead of night, around 12:23 a.m., well past the jail’s lockdown period. While inmates were supposed to be securely confined in their cells, the ten men managed to derail their sliding doors, indicating long-standing issues with broken or malfunctioning cell locks.
From there, they targeted a specific cell bathroom wall, hidden from surveillance cameras and lacking active oversight. By removing the toilet fixtures and breaching the wall, they accessed an area behind the cell structure, allowing them to continue their escape route unnoticed.
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The breach was only discovered more than seven hours later, during a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning. This significant delay in discovering the escape raises questions about the effectiveness of monitoring systems within the jail, especially given that at least a third of the jail’s security cameras — including three in the escape unit — were inoperative.
Additionally, despite having a surveillance technician on duty, the escapees were able to move undetected through multiple layers of the facility, including past a loading dock and over a security wall, before disappearing into the city’s landscape.
Inside Help and Infrastructure Failures
The narrative quickly shifted from shock to scandal as Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson admitted that it was “almost impossible” for the inmates to have escaped without help — either from within the facility or from external actors. Preliminary investigations strongly suggest that this escape was at least partially an inside job.
Sheriff Hutson confirmed that there were indications of assistance from personnel within the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. These allegations of internal collaboration are deeply troubling, pointing not only to security vulnerabilities but to a potential breakdown in staff loyalty and oversight.
That jail staff may have played a role in enabling violent criminals to break free reflects a severe institutional crisis. The sheriff’s office is now probing multiple angles, from surveillance lapses to personnel conduct and even whether tools were smuggled in to aid the escape.
🚨ESCAPED INMATES🚨
— New Orleans Police Department (@NOPDNews) May 16, 2025
11 men escaped OPSO custody at the Orleans Parish Jail — 10 remain at large.
If you recognize anyone pictured, DO NOT APPROACH — they may be armed & dangerous.
Call 911 immediately.
ANYONE HELPING THESE ESCAPEES WILL BE ARRESTED & CHARGED AS AN ACCOMPLICE. pic.twitter.com/xxSiwd4gi0
Moreover, Sheriff Hutson stressed the dire need for substantial funding to address failing jail infrastructure. She cited issues such as defective locks, outdated door mechanisms, and a severe shortage of personnel — with the jail operating at only 60% staffing capacity during the breakout.
According to her estimates, the facility needs at least $5 million in upgrades to restore basic security features and enhance monitoring capabilities. She has long warned of the risks posed by underfunding, but these concerns were tragically validated in this recent episode.
Despite being a relatively new facility that cost taxpayers $145 million and opened in 2015, the Orleans Justice Center has faced a series of criticisms, including those from federal monitors. In 2023, the jail was described as plagued by poor supervision, a rise in violence among inmates, preventable drug overdoses, and the use of excessive force by guards.
This background paints a grim picture of a detention center that, while modern in design, has failed to live up to its promise of providing secure, humane incarceration.
A Statewide Manhunt and Recapture Efforts
Following the discovery of the escape, law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels sprang into action. One of the inmates, Kendell Myles, was recaptured in the French Quarter of New Orleans later Friday morning after being spotted through Project NOLA’s facial recognition surveillance.
Louisiana State Police pursued and apprehended him after a brief foot chase, finding him hiding under a car in the Hotel Monteleone parking garage. Myles has a history of escapes — he fled from another detention center in 2022 — making his quick recapture a temporary relief for authorities.
Governor Jeff Landry celebrated the recapture and issued a warning to the remaining escapees, saying, “To the other 10: YOU ARE NEXT!” His statement underscored the severity with which the state is treating the incident.
Authorities have labeled the escapees “armed and dangerous,” urging the public to avoid approaching them and instead report sightings immediately to law enforcement.
As of now, nine inmates remain at large. The full list of escapees includes Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, Kendell Myles, Derrick Groves, Jermaine Donald, Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis. One man, Keith Lewis, was initially believed to be among the escapees, but was later accounted for in another cell and confirmed not to be part of the breakout.
The charges against the escaped inmates range from aggravated assault to first-degree murder. For instance, Derrick Groves was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder related to a 2018 shooting on Mardi Gras Day. These are not low-risk offenders, which makes the escape all the more concerning for public safety.
New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick emphasized that her department didn’t learn of the escape until approximately 10:30 a.m., a full two hours after the sheriff’s office discovered it.
The delay in notifying other law enforcement agencies and the public has drawn significant criticism. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill remarked on social media that “someone clearly dropped the ball,” underscoring the importance of real-time information sharing during such crises.
Accountability and the Road Ahead
The fallout from this escape is likely to reverberate through the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office for months to come. Sheriff Hutson is already facing criticism for the delay in alerting the public and other agencies, and for the overall lack of oversight that allowed the escape to occur in the first place. Her defense that the facility requires millions in upgrades has been challenged by her predecessor, Marlin Gusman, who accused her of deflecting responsibility and playing “the blame game.”
However, the broader issues go beyond finger-pointing. The escape shines a spotlight on the systemic problems plaguing not just Orleans Parish, but detention centers across the United States. Underfunding, staff shortages, equipment failures, and lax supervision create a fertile ground for breaches like this one.
When prisoners facing serious charges can dismantle their cells, evade broken cameras, and flee through compromised infrastructure, the implications are severe — not just for those tasked with guarding the facilities, but for every member of the surrounding community.
Federal monitors already placed the jail under a consent decree due to past issues, and this escape may prompt renewed federal scrutiny or intervention. Additionally, civil rights groups and watchdogs are likely to question how this escape fits into the broader pattern of neglect and mismanagement at the facility.
At this point, authorities are focused on recapturing the remaining escapees and ensuring the safety of individuals connected to their criminal cases. Chief Kirkpatrick said efforts are underway to relocate witnesses and victims who may be at risk. But beyond the immediate crisis, the city will need to reckon with the deeper institutional failures that allowed this escape to happen.
As investigations continue, public demand for accountability is growing. Taxpayers want to know how a $145 million facility — built less than a decade ago — could fall into such disrepair.
Families of victims associated with the escaped inmates are demanding protection and justice. And the public at large is left questioning how safe they really are when dangerous criminals can slip through the cracks of a supposedly secure system.
This escape, dramatic and unprecedented, is a wake-up call not just for New Orleans, but for the nation. It’s a reminder that modern buildings mean little without modern oversight, adequate funding, and institutional integrity. As the manhunt continues, one truth remains unavoidable: this incident was more than an escape — it was a complete breakdown of the systems meant to keep society safe.