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Gone quiet · last update Oct 15, 2026 / New Orleans

The mass escape from the New Orleans jail and the hunt for the inmates

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

On May 16, 2025, 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail by breaching a wall behind a toilet, setting off a manhunt that lasted nearly five months.[1][2][3] Authorities said at least 15 people helped them, including a jail maintenance worker who was later sentenced to two and a half years in prison for turning off the toilet's water.[4][5] The last escapee, Derrick Groves, was captured in Georgia in October 2025.[6][3]

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Authorities said at least 15 people helped them, including a jail maintenance worker who was later sentenced to two and a half years in prison for turning off the toilet's water.[4][5] The last escapee, Derrick Groves, was captured in Georgia in October 2025.[6][3]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-05-12 (UTC): 15%, 31 of 202 tracked outlets (8 left, 15 center, 8 right)Week of 2025-05-19 (UTC): 15%, 30 of 197 tracked outlets (5 left, 21 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-05-26 (UTC): 18%, 34 of 191 tracked outlets (9 left, 21 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-06-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-23 (UTC): 6%, 8 of 137 tracked outlets (1 left, 7 center, 0 right)Week of 2025-06-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): 14%, 26 of 181 tracked outlets (5 left, 17 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): 2%, 8 of 476 tracked outlets (2 left, 5 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (6 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Oct 12, 20262518 of 4762%
Oct 6, 2025517426 of 18114%
Jun 23, 20251708 of 1376%
May 26, 2025921434 of 19118%
May 19, 2025521430 of 19715%
May 12, 2025815831 of 20215%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Oct 15, 2026 · first reported · Headline from BRPROUD Baton Rouge

    Custodian sentenced for role in audacious New Orleans jailbreak of 10 inmates

Background

The sheriff said the men had likely had help, and only three were found in the first days.[1] Authorities arrested a maintenance worker,[7] and by late May 13 people had been charged with helping the escapees, inside the jail and after they got out.[8] Investigators said many of those who helped were friends and relatives who supplied food, cash, transportation and shelter.[4]

Recaptures came steadily: three escapees were caught on May 26, leaving two at large,[9] and Antoine Massey was captured in late June.[2] Groves, the last, was arrested in Georgia in October after nearly five months on the run and agreed to be returned to Louisiana.[6][3] In October 2026 the custodian, Sterling Williams, was sentenced after pleading guilty.[5]

Supporting stories (9)
  1. 10 inmates who escaped New Orleans jail may have had inside help
  2. 9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, sheriff’s office says, one last inmate still at large
  3. Derrick Groves, last of 10 New Orleans jail escapees, arrested in Atlanta
  4. A growing number of New Orleans fugitives' friends and family arrested for aiding in jail escape
  5. New Orleans jail worker gets 2.5 years in prison for enabling brazen 10-inmate escape
  6. Last of the 10 New Orleans jail escapees from May is captured in Georgia, authorities say
  7. Fifth inmate recaptured and a maintenance worker arrested days after breakout at New Orleans jail
  8. How 13 people allegedly helped New Orleans’ escaped inmates, both before and after the brazen breakout
  9. 3 more New Orleans inmates captured today, leaving 2 at large

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 13 recorded updates

October 2026

  1. New Orleans jail worker gets 2.5 years in prison for enabling brazen 10-inmate escapeHeadline from MyNorthwest · 8 outlets

October 2025

  1. Last of the 10 New Orleans jail escapees from May is captured in Georgia, authorities sayHeadline from ABC 11 Raleigh · 6 outlets
  2. Derrick Groves, last of 10 New Orleans jail escapees, arrested in AtlantaHeadline from KTVU San Francisco · 23 outlets

June 2025

  1. 9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, sheriff’s office says, one last inmate still at largeHeadline from KESQ Palm Springs · 8 outlets

May 2025

  1. A growing number of New Orleans fugitives' friends and family arrested for aiding in jail escapeHeadline from MyNorthwest · 10 outlets
  2. Two escapees from the New Orleans jailbreak remain at large. One has a lot of experience being on the runHeadline from KEZI Eugene · 5 outlets
  3. How 13 people allegedly helped New Orleans’ escaped inmates, both before and after the brazen breakoutHeadline from KESQ Palm Springs · 6 outlets
  4. Third person charged with helping escaped New Orleans inmatesHeadline from CNN · 4 outlets
  5. Fifth inmate recaptured and a maintenance worker arrested days after breakout at New Orleans jailHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 6 outlets
  6. 3 more New Orleans inmates captured today, leaving 2 at largeHeadline from Local News 8 · 31 outlets
  7. New Orleans jail employee arrested, accused of helping mass escape of inmatesHeadline from ABC 11 Raleigh · 14 outlets
  8. Louisiana State Police captures 4th escaped inmate in NOLA prison break, 6 still at largeHeadline from FOX 5 New York · 28 outlets
  9. 10 inmates who escaped New Orleans jail may have had inside helpHeadline from FOX 5 New York · 28 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →