Mardi Gras EndymionParade Vehicle Incursion
A pickup truck driven by Neilson Rizzuto struck multiple vehicles and then entered a crowd watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans. Police said he was intoxicated; NOPD reported a breath alcohol result of 0.232%.
Incident Overview
What Happened
Date: 25 February 2017. Reuters, NOPD, ABC News, Fox 8, and AP follow-up coverage all tie the incident to Saturday, 25 February 2017.
Location: Intersection of North Carrollton Avenue and Orleans Avenue, along the Krewe of Endymion parade route, in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Reuters also describes the truck as veering onto the median/neutral ground where spectators were standing.
Incident name: Mardi Gras / Krewe of Endymion parade vehicle incursion. Sources also commonly describe it as the Endymion parade crash or Mardi Gras parade crash.
Impact Summary
Injuries & Fatalities
Reported injuries: Conflicting figures. NOPD’s 1 March 2017 update states 28 victims reported at the scene, with 21 transported by EMS and 7 declining EMS. Later AP and local follow-up reports refer to 32 people hurt/injured in the crash. Fox 8 also reported 23 people to hospitals in a later charge update.
Reported fatalities: No fatalities reported in the verified sources reviewed.
View Caveats →Key Facts
Reported Headline Figures
Chronology
Incident Timeline
Operational Details
Key Control Issues
Disputed Details
Conflicting Information
The source material does not fully align on the total number of injured people, hospital transports, and victim age range.
NOPD update says 28 victims reported at the scene; 21 transported, 7 declined EMS.
AP follow-up and related later reports say 32 people were hurt/injured.
The most defensible reading is that 28 was the contemporaneous on-scene count, while 32 appears in later court/follow-up reporting.
NOPD says 21 patients transported by EMS.
Fox 8 later reported 23 people to hospitals.
These may reflect different counting stages or hospital-arrival reporting versus EMS on-scene transport reporting; the sources do not reconcile the difference.
NOPD says ages ranged from 1 year old to patients in their 50s.
ABC News, citing emergency services/AP information, says victims ranged from 3 or 4 years old to adults in their 30s and 40s.
Early casualty-age reporting differed across outlets.
Not Verified
Unverified Details
The following points were not verified in the reviewed material.
Source Material
References
Reference cards below reproduce the source list from the incident document, grouped by source type.
Reuters reported that Neilson Rizzuto was accused of injuring 28 people after driving into the Endymion parade crowd in New Orleans; police said his blood alcohol level was 0.232 and that the truck struck other vehicles before veering into spectators.
ABC News reported Rizzuto’s first court appearance, $125,000 bail on the initial four charges, a reported blood alcohol level of .232, victim ages ranging from a child to adults in their 30s and 40s, and that three victims remained hospitalized.
Fox 8 reported 28 injured, including a police officer and a small child; 21 hospitalized and 7 refusing treatment. It located the crash at Orleans and North Carrollton and described the truck hitting vehicles before crossing the neutral ground into the crowd.
AP reported that a man allegedly plowed into a crowd enjoying the Krewe of Endymion parade in Mid-City, New Orleans, and that police were investigating the case as DWI-related.
AP/ABC13 reported 28 injuries after a vehicle hit the Mardi Gras crowd in New Orleans and identified Neilson Rizzuto as the accused driver.
CNN/ABC7 reported that Rizzuto’s blood alcohol level was .232 and placed the incident near Orleans and Carrollton avenues during the Krewe of Endymion parade.
The Guardian reported at least 28 injuries after a vehicle drove into spectators watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in Mid-City New Orleans.
ABC Australia reported that Neilson Rizzuto was arrested and charged after police said he injured 28 people by driving into spectators at the Mardi Gras parade.
WBRZ reported that Rizzuto pleaded not guilty and was facing 14 counts of first-degree vehicular negligent injuring, 12 counts of vehicular negligent injuring, and one count of hit and run causing serious injury or death; it also reported bond increased to $420,000.
Fox 8 reported that Rizzuto faced a total of 24 counts of first-degree vehicular negligent injuring plus hit-and-run and reckless operation charges; it also reported 23 people sent to hospitals and named two specific injured victims.
AP reported that Rizzuto pleaded guilty to 11 felony charges and one misdemeanor charge; the report states that as many as 32 people were reported hurt and notes victim accounts describing broken bones, lacerations, and PTSD.
AP reported that Rizzuto, sentenced in January 2018, was expected to be released on 20 July 2018; AP states the crash injured 32 people, that he pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts and 14 related misdemeanors, and that the release timing was affected by Louisiana prison reform rules.
Fox 8 reported Rizzuto’s release from prison and quoted victim Faye Bertrand, describing the sentencing structure, suspended year, probation, and the role of Louisiana’s “good time” rules.
KALB reported that police said 28 people were hurt, there were no fatalities, and that if bond were made Rizzuto would face house arrest, an ankle monitor, and a driving prohibition.
KALB reported that Rizzuto was set for release on 20 July 2018 and stated that the 2017 crash injured 32 people.
KATC reported that Judge Benedict Willard had sentenced Rizzuto to five years with one year suspended, credited time served, and one year of probation; it attributed the early release to Louisiana rules for nonviolent offenders serving 35 percent with good behavior.
Time reported at least 28 injuries, 21 hospitalizations, no indication of terrorism, and early descriptions of the driver as highly intoxicated.
Time reported that officials said Rizzuto had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit and that at least 28 people were injured.
NOPD’s update states the incident occurred at North Carrollton and Orleans Avenue; 28 victims were reported at the scene, 21 were transported by EMS, 7 declined EMS, at least 3 remained hospitalized overnight with moderate to serious injuries, and there were no fatalities. It also states Rizzuto was arrested at the scene and had a breath alcohol result of .232%.
All Document URLs
Source Links
Direct links for each referenced source in the incident file.
