Late Saturday night, a high-speed police pursuit through New Orleans ended in tragedy under the I-610 overpass on North Broad Street, leaving a newborn dead and two people seriously injured. The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment, then booked into jail, while the other occupants were transported to local medical centers. The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro slammed into a downed telephone pole and heavily damaged a concrete bridge support beneath the interstate.
According to a news release from the Louisiana State Police, troopers first tried to stop the Camaro near Elysian Fields Avenue and North Claiborne Avenue. Instead of pulling over, the driver took off, leading officers on a pursuit that ended when the car was later found crashed on North Broad Street under I-610. The release identifies the driver as 26-year-old Caleb Ezidore and states the Camaro had been reported stolen from New Orleans on December 4, 2025. The same car had already managed to get away from law enforcement once before during a February 14, 2026 pursuit, according to the agency.
What happened at the crash site
"Despite life-saving measures by medical staff to deliver the infant, the child did not survive," Louisiana State Police wrote in a Facebook post about the crash. Troopers at the scene rendered aid after the Camaro failed to negotiate a left-hand curve, left the roadway, hit a previously downed telephone pole and then collided head-on with a concrete support pillar under the interstate. The front- and rear-seat passengers were partially ejected and suffered serious injuries, according to the agency.
Charges and ongoing probe
"Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Ezidore," the release noted. After he was discharged from medical care, Ezidore was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on charges that include second-degree feticide, aggravated flight from an officer, illegal possession of stolen things, two counts of negligent injuring, reckless operation and multiple traffic offenses, according to the Louisiana State Police Troop NOLA Facebook post.
What second-degree feticide means
Under Louisiana law, second-degree feticide covers certain killings of an unborn child that do not meet the higher standard for first-degree feticide and can carry a sentence of up to 10 years at hard labor. The statute spells out the specific elements of the crime and its penalties. The full legal text is available in the Louisiana Revised Statutes.
Why chases in New Orleans draw scrutiny
The deadly pursuit comes as Troop NOLA has stepped up proactive street patrols aimed at recovering stolen vehicles and seizing weapons. That more aggressive approach has earned some praise from residents frustrated with crime, but it has also raised alarms about the risks of high-speed chases in dense city neighborhoods, as Axios New Orleans has reported. Critics note that Louisiana State Police pursuit policies are looser than the New Orleans Police Department’s stricter rules under a federal consent decree, a gap that has fueled public concern after recent pursuits ending in crashes.
Police ask for tips
The LSP Force Investigation Unit says its inquiry into the crash is still active and that additional charges could be filed. Anyone with information, photos or video related to the incident is asked to submit tips through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system or call the Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007, according to the Louisiana State Police. The agency lists Trooper Danny Berrincha as the public affairs contact for Troop NOLA in its release.
