New Orleans police are investigating a pair of armed carjackings that unfolded Saturday in the Bywater and the Lower Ninth Ward, incidents that neighbors say have them rattled. In both cases, witnesses reported that suspects showed guns and took off with vehicles. Police say no arrests have been announced and the investigations remain active.
According to investigators, the first carjacking happened in the 600 block of Piety Street in Bywater, where a delivery driver picking up a DoorDash order was confronted by a masked man who pointed a gun and demanded the vehicle. A second carjacking was reported at a gas station in the 5100 block of St. Claude Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward, where the suspect pulled a firearm and the victim handed over their keys. Officers later found the stolen vehicle abandoned and unoccupied in the 1300 block of Japonica Street, according to WDSU.
How These Incidents Fit a Recent Pattern
The latest cases land on top of a string of recent carjackings and robberies targeting rideshare and delivery drivers, with suspects allegedly using everything from staged pickup requests to flagging down drivers on the street. WWL reported on similar incidents in May, and Fox 8 detailed arrests tied to a rideshare carjacking spree later that month. The reports have put extra attention on how and where drivers meet customers in neighborhoods across the city.
Police Ask For Tips And Video
Investigators are asking anyone with video or information connected to the Bywater or Lower Ninth cases to contact the New Orleans Police Department. Past reporting listed the NOPD Fifth District detectives tip line at 504-658-6050. Detectives say they are following leads and that the probe remains active, and neighbors told reporters the back to back incidents have them on edge. Anyone who may have surveillance footage from the area is urged to preserve it and share it with investigators.
