The family of one of the victims killed in the New Orleans terror attack saw their worst fears come true after he failed to answer their panicked text messages.
Matthew Tenedorio’s cousins became concerned the morning after the New Year’s attack because he was unresponsive, even though the 25-year-old was scheduled to work at the Sugar Bowl that evening.
“That’s when the bad feelings started to come in where you just knew something wasn’t right,” Zach Colgan said WBRZ. “He went there with all his friends, and all his friends are back, but he’s not back.”
Tenedorio had dinner with his parents Cathy and Louis before heading to Bourbon Street against his parents’ advice.
“We had dinner and had fireworks outside and just laughed and hugged each other and told each other we loved each other,” his grieving mother said, adding that they had tried to stop him from going into town.
“They don’t think about risks,” she said.
Officials have not yet released the names of the 14 people killed in the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, but nine victims have been identified by their families.
Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day
Drew Dauphin, a 2023 Auburn University graduate, also died in the attack. He was a supplier process engineer at the American Honda Motor Company in Birmingham
Officials have not yet released the names of the 14 people killed in the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, but their families have identified nine victims.
A former college football star, a high school student, a father of two and a young mother are among the victims who died when Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, deliberately hit pedestrians with an ISIS flag hanging from his car.
Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove a white Ford SUV into pedestrians driving in New Orleans’ French Quarter around 3:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday
Tiger Bech, 28, Ni’kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, Reggie Hunter, 37, Nicole Perez, 27, Matthew Tenedorio, University of Alabama freshman Kareem Badawi and Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, were killed in the senseless attack in the early hours of the attack. New Year’s Day in the French Quarter.
Gauthreaux’s family frantically shared messages on social media that he was missing in the aftermath of the attack, before revealing he was found dead in a hospital.
Bech, who played football for Princeton University, was taken to a New Orleans-area hospital after being struck by the vehicle. He was placed on life support until his family arrived, St. Thomas More Catholic High School athletic director Kim Broussard told KLFY.
Dedeaux, known to her family as Cheyenne, ran into the street into the path of the speeding truck after she, her cousin and friend panicked when gunfire rang out.
Hunter, the father of two, of Baton Rouge, also died after deciding to go to Bourbon Street in 2025 to make a phone call after a shift at work, his cousin Shirell Jackson told NOLA.com.
Billy DiMaio, 25, was one of the victims of the attack. He was a New York City-based account executive for the media company Audacy
Hubert Gauthreaux’s family frantically shared messages on social media that he missed in the aftermath of the attack, before revealing he was found dead in a hospital
Reggie Hunter, 37, (left). Nicole Perez, 27, (right)
Meanwhile, Perez, who was described as ‘an amazing mother’, was on holiday with her friends when the truck hit her. She was taken to University Hospital, where she later died.
Billy DiMaio, 25, was one of the victims of the attack. He was a New York City-based account executive for the media company Audacy and was in New Orleans to celebrate New Year’s Eve and see friends who were planning to go to the Sugar Bowl.
Drew Dauphin, a 2023 Auburn University graduate, also died in the attack. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was a supplier process engineer at the American Honda Motor Company in Birmingham, Alabama.
Authorities processed the attack scene and removed the last bodies on Thursday morning. Bourbon Street – famous worldwide for its music, open-air drinking and festive atmosphere – reopened for business in the early afternoon.
On the same block where the attack occurred, trombonist and lifelong New Orleanian Jonas Green said it was important for his band to be there the day after the violence.
Ni’kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, also lost her life in the attack
Tiger Bech, 28, of Lafayette, Louisiana, died Wednesday in the horrific terror attack in New Orleans
Alabama freshman Kareem Badawi was also identified by his family as a fatality
The Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and Georgia, which was postponed by a day in the interest of national security, was played on Thursday evening.
The FBI continued to search for clues about Jabbar, but a day later the agency said it was confident he was not assisted in the attack by anyone else.
It was the deadliest IS-inspired attack on US soil in years, with federal officials warning it is a reemerging international terrorism threat. It also comes as the FBI and other agencies brace for dramatic leadership changes and likely policy shifts after President Donald Trump’s newly elected administration takes power.
Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, emphasized that there is no evidence of a link between the attack in New Orleans and Wednesday’s explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.
The attack plans in New Orleans also include planting crude bombs nearby in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage, officials said. Two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were made safe at the scene. Other devices were determined to be non-functional.