The death of a French Quarter tourist who was struck and killed by a car as he celebrated the New Year’s holiday in 2016 remains unsolved four years later.
New Orleans police believe that Joshua Woodruff was struck by a car at the corner of Dumaine and Decatur streets at approximately 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day in 2016.
Woodruff became stuck under the car and was dragged throughout the French Quarter before the driver entered the U.S. Highway 90 expressway, said New Orleans Police Department Detective Robert Barrere.
The driver drove across the Mississippi River bridge before Woodruff was dislodged along the Westbank Expressway approximately six miles away near the General de Gaulle exit, said Barrere.
Barrere added that the car exited the expressway at the Algiers exit at approximately 3:30 a.m.
Several dozen more images of the vehicle suspected of hitting Woodruff were obtained from nearby surveillance cameras were released nearly two years after his death.
Despite their blurriness, Barrere said the images that were released are some of the better images police were able to capture of the car.
The car is described as a dark-colored sedan with a silver windshield trim and distinctive headlight and tail light patterns, Barrere said.
“I believe someone knows who did this,” said Barrere at a press conference in 2017. “The person who did knows he did this.”
Crimestoppers is offering up to $5,000 that leads to the arrest and indictment of the suspect.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact detective Barrere at 504-658-5300. Anonymous callers may call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 877-903-7867.
