NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A man who identified himself as a New Orleans jail escapee released videos on social media while still on the run, leading to a police raid that failed to recapture him, an Associated Press source says.
Authorities were so convinced about the authenticity of the videos that they searched a home a little over 2 miles (3.7 kilometers) from the jail late Monday where they believe the recordings were made by escapee Antoine Massey, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. The official said he wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation into the May 16 escape by 10 inmates.
Massey was not at the New Orleans home on the edge of the Fairgrounds and Gentilly neighborhoods, the official said, but authorities did locate clothing they believe he wore during filming.
The owner of the home, Shedrick Burnell, said it was being rented and declined to name the tenant. He told AP by phone that he had never seen or heard of Massey before the jailbreak and the videos circulated online, but he appeared unfazed that a fugitive had likely used his property as a hideout.
“I’m 76, I’ve seen a helluva lot worse than this,” said the Louisiana native. “As long as my tenant is safe, there’s nothing I can do.”
When an AP reporter knocked at the home Tuesday afternoon, no one answered.
Next door, a house under construction had been kicked in and the backdoor, gate and windows were open — likely due to the police search, said Tariq Aldahir, an electrician who had been working on that property, adjacent to where Massey had allegedly been hiding.
“It’s a little scary -- if he is as dangerous a criminal as they say he is, what is he capable of doing?” Aldahir said. “He’s desperate -- any human being who is desperate, there’s no limit to what they can do.”
Authorities were tipped to the videos, posted online Sunday, by relatives who recognized the residence.
Authorities are racing to recapture Massey and convicted murderer Derrick Groves, more than two weeks since the audacious breakout. Eight other escapees have since been recaptured.
State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said that despite the agency’s confidence in its investigations, “things change at a moment’s notice and it’s usually because someone has helped them.” He encouraged people to keep offering tips. Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward per escapee.
Louisiana State Police, the agency leading the search, declined to comment on whether it had verified Massey's identity in the videos. The agency carried out the search related to the videos — since removed from Instagram — which seemingly show a man with the same facial tattoos as Massey sitting near a kitchen.
“Please, I’m asking for help,” said Massey, appealing to President Donald Trump and several rappers including New Orleans native Lil Wayne in one video. “When I get back in custody I’m asking y’all please to come and help.”
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson urged Massey to surrender, adding in a statement: “Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges."
Massey, 32, faced charges of rape, kidnapping, domestic violence involving strangulation and violation of a protective order all stemming from a November 2024 incident, authorities in nearby St. Tammany Parish say. In Orleans Parish he faced charges of motor vehicle theft and domestic battery.
Massey said he's innocent and also claimed on video that he'd been “let out” of jail.
A woman police identified as being in an on-again, off-again relationship with Massey — and who suffered from domestic abuse at his hands, police reports indicate — was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and as a principal to aggravated escape, court records show. Authorities said the woman knew of Massey’s escape plans beforehand, communicated with him afterward and misled authorities.
During a Tuesday press conference, Gov. Jeff Landry, a tough-on-crime Republican, urged the two escapees “quit the hide-and-seek game” and turn themselves in.
Video and images from the breakout show inmates had yanked open a faulty cell door, removed a toilet and crawled through a hole where steel bars had been cut before using blanks to get over a barbed wire fence.
A maintenance worker charged with helping the incarcerated men escape has denied knowingly aiding them, via his lawyer.
___
Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
___
Sara Cline contributed reporting from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
