Princeton football alum among victims killed in New Orleans truck attack
NEW JERSEY - On Wednesday, in what officials called an act of terror, a driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, packed with holiday revelers, injuring dozens and killing 15 people.
Officials have not yet released the names of the victims, but families and friends have started sharing their stories.
Among those killed in the attack were a Princeton University football alumnus who was working at a New York brokerage firm, an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, a single mother, and a father of two.
Dr. Dwight McKenna, the New Orleans Coroner, says that the names of the deceased will be released once autopsies are complete and the next of kin have been notified. About 30 people were injured in the incident.
Skip to: Who were the victims of the New Orleans truck attack?
Who was Tiger Bech?
Tiger Bech, 27, died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Bech attended the high school, where he excelled as a wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner, and defensive back, NOLA.com reported.
The Princeton Football team posted condolences for the alumnus on X, writing: "Princeton Football mourns the loss of Tiger Bech ‘21. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all of the victims of the Bourbon Street attack."
Bech was reportedly a kick returner who played for the university from 2016 to 2018.
A former high school and college football player from Louisiana, Bech was among those who died after the pickup truck rammed into the crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
"He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor," Princeton football coach Bob Surace said.
Bech played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently, he was working as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.
Surace shared that he had been texting with Bech’s father, reminiscing about the player, who was a school kick returner and receiver from 2017 to 2019 and earned All-Ivy League honors as a returner.
"He was somebody that, somehow, in the key moments, just excelled. He was full of energy, full of life," Surace told ESPN.
Bech had been working at Seaport Global, where company spokesperson Lisa Lieberman described him as "extremely well regarded by everybody who knew him."
Bech’s younger brother, Jack, is a top wide receiver at Texas Christian University.
Responding to a KLFY-TV report about Tiger Bech’s death, an account for Jack Bech posted on X: "Love you always, brother! You inspired me every day. Now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family, T, don’t worry. This is for us."
There are also reports that Bech's close friend, Ryan Quigley, was injured in the attack and is undergoing treatment.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up by Jack Kelly and Dom Gambone in honor of the two men. The description read: "Ryan Quigley and his close friend Tiger Bech were struck by a truck. Devastatingly, Tiger lost his life, and Ryan is undergoing treatment as he begins a road to recovery."
Who were the victims of the New Orleans truck attack?
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 01: First responders, some wearing Hazmat gear, gather outside the Fashion Show mall across from the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas as they investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the
Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories.
Nikyra Dedeaux
Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, was reportedly celebrating New Year’s Eve at his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse.
"A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air," Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. "It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet and I was just lucky to be alive."
Reggie Hunter
Reggie Hunter, 37, was among the 15 people killed early Wednesday, Hunter.
Hunter, a father of two from Baton Rouge, had just left work and was on his way to celebrate New Year’s with a cousin when the attack occurred, according to his first cousin Shirell Jackson, who spoke to Nola.com.
Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.
Nicole Perez
Nicole Perez was a single mother to a 4-year-old son who was killed in the New Orleans truck attack, according to her employer.
Perez, who was in her late 20s, was recently promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metarie, Louisiana and "was really excited about it," deli owner Kimberly Usher said in a phone interview with AP. Usher confirmed Perez’s death through her sister, who also works for her.
"She was a really good mom," said Usher, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Perez’s burial costs and to help with expenses for her son that "he will need to transition into a new living situation," the donation request says.