‘Deeply saddened’: Ford CEO Jim Farley on Bourbon Street attack

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Former DC homicide detective Ted Williams explains the latest updates on the New Orleans attack, the suspect’s inspiration from ISIS and how the investigation could affect other police departments and law enforcement.

Ford CEO Jim Farley responded Wednesday to the terrorist attack in New Orleans.

The terror attack took place early Wednesday morning in New Orleans, where the FBI said suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar shot a rented white Ford pickup truck down the city’s famed Bourbon Street amid New Year’s festivities. It left 14 people dead and several dozen others injured.

“New Orleans … we are deeply saddened by this violent attack,” Ford’s CEO wrote on X. “Our hearts go out to the victims and injured, their families and the first responders.”

Ford “is and will continue to work in full cooperation with authorities,” Farley said.

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FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia said Thursday that Jabbar “picked up the leased F-150 in Houston, Texas, on December 30” before traveling to New Orleans.

A police officer patrols the French Quarter, following an attack by a man driving a truck down Bourbon Street the day before, early on January 2, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured Wednesday when a vehicle plowed into a New Year's crowd overnight in the heart of New Orleans' booming tourist district, authorities in the southern US city said. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

A police officer patrols the French Quarter in New Orleans on Thursday after an attack by a man driving a truck down Bourbon Street took place on Wednesday. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The rental of the vehicle was arranged through Turo’s platform.

Meanwhile, a Tesla Cybertruck filled with gas canisters and fireworks mortars exploded the same day in Las Vegas. It was also rented via the platform.

A Turo spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News that the peer-to-peer car-sharing company was “devastated by the violence committed in New Orleans and Las Vegas.”

“We are actively cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate both incidents. We do not believe that any of the tenants involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and security technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals,” the Turo spokesperson said.

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Raia said Thursday that “at this time there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” noting that it was “very early” in the investigation.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, USA - JANUARY 1: Police checkpoints on and around Bourbon Street after a vehicle plowed into New Year's crowds at a tourist district, local authorities said in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on January 1, 2025. (Photo by: Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Police checkpoints are seen on and around Bourbon Street in New Orleans after a vehicle plowed into a crowd on Wednesday. (Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, died on Bourbon Street after exchanging fire with police, according to the FBI. The agency said an ISIS flag, weapons and a potential IED were discovered in his rented truck after the attack.

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Raia said the Bourbon Street suspect had “posted several videos to an online platform proclaiming his support for ISIS” while en route to New Orleans.

Margaret Kerkman contributed to this report.