In a report published September 18, New Orleans police were investigating two vehicle crimes in the Gentilly neighborhood that happened about a mile and an hour apart, and detectives suspect the same masked crew could be behind both. In the 6000 block of Chatham Drive, a trio of thieves wearing masks, hoodies and gloves burglarized multiple cars. Roughly an hour earlier or later and about a mile away, a car was stolen out of the 1300 block of Riviera Avenue.
According to WGNO, police have not disclosed what items were taken during the Chatham Drive car burglaries. In the Riviera Avenue case, a suspect walked up to the porch of the victim's home while at least two other people waited at the curb inside the stolen car, and the suspect appeared to be searching for an unknown item.
The New Orleans Police Department has said it is aware the two cases and their suspects appear similar, but the department says it has no proof yet that the same people committed both crimes, per the same report. That distinction matters for how prosecutors could eventually build a case, since Louisiana treats car burglary and vehicle theft as separate crimes under the law.
What Louisiana Law Says About Burglary Versus Theft
Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:62, unauthorized entry into a vehicle with intent to commit a felony or theft is charged as simple burglary, a felony punishable by up to 12 years in prison and a fine as high as $2,000, according to legal researchers at a New Orleans criminal defense firm. Taking a motor vehicle without consent and with intent to permanently deprive the owner is a separate offense, charged as theft of a motor vehicle under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:67.26, which can carry up to 10 years at hard labor depending on the vehicle's value, as detailed by the Colonna Law Firm. That legal split could affect how people involved in the two types of offenses are ultimately charged compared to the person who actually entered the vehicle.
Gentilly, including the streets where both incidents occurred, is the neighborhood identified in reports about the cases, according to the City of New Orleans. Detectives working vehicle crimes sometimes rely on SafeCam NOLA, a voluntary database maintained with the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation that maps private home security cameras so investigators can quickly request nearby footage after property crimes, per the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation. Whether any residential cameras captured usable footage of masked, gloved suspects in either Gentilly case has not been reported.
A Pattern Playing Out Across Northeastern New Orleans
The Chatham Drive and Riviera Avenue incidents come just over a week after a separate overnight burglary spree in the nearby Desire neighborhood, where a suspect broke into multiple commercial and personal vehicles along Agriculture Street and made off with a generator and an amplifier, as Hoodline previously reported. It is one of several vehicle crimes reported across northeastern New Orleans neighborhoods in recent weeks.
Citywide, the numbers suggest these Gentilly cases are part of a broader, if shrinking, problem rather than a spike. NOPD reported in July that violent crime citywide had dropped 70% compared to 2022 levels, with a 15% year-over-year decrease in reported motor vehicle burglaries during the first half of 2026, according to NOPD News. Separately, the Metropolitan Crime Commission's data as of September 2026 shows carjackings in Orleans Parish fell 11% compared to 2025 and 82% compared to 2022, with 39 reported carjackings through early September.
Why Auto Crime Still Draws Scrutiny
The downward trend follows a rough stretch for the city. The Metropolitan Crime Commission has described the number of vehicle thefts in New Orleans as disturbing. The stakes of unsecured vehicles remain a concern.
Anyone with information on the Chatham Drive or Riviera Avenue cases can call Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111. Tipsters do not have to reveal their names or testify in court and may be eligible for a cash reward. The WGNO segment covering the cases airs as part of the outlet's Wheel of Justice series, which the station says has resulted in more than 500 people being booked.
