San Diego State student among victims injured in deadly New Orleans truck attack
A 19-year-old San Diego State University student named Steele Idelson was among dozens of people wounded in the tragic New Orleans truck attack.
As law enforcement officials investigate hundreds of tips in the attack that killed 14 people and injured at least 35 others in the early morning hours of New Year's Day on Wednesday, the identities of the victims are slowly becoming public.
The southern Florida school Idelson graduated high school from confirmed she was wounded in the attack alongside fellow Canterbury School alum Elle Eisele.
San Diego State University confirmed to Paste BN on Thursday that Idelson was one of its students. University President Adela de la Torre issued a statement Sunday with approval from Idelson's family revealing she is in "on the path to recovery and is eager to return to the SDSU community when she is ready."
"Her deep pride in being part of SDSU is a testament to her resilience and spirit. Our teams at SDSU are fully committed to providing all the support and resources needed to aid her and her family now and in the future," De la Torre wrote in the statement.
Idelson, a native of the Fort Myers area of southern Florida, was critically injured alongside her childhood friend Eisele, 19, according to reporting by the Fort Myers News-Press, part of the Paste BN Network.
"I ask every Florida family to join Ann and me in praying for the quick recovery of Steele Idelson, Elle Eisele and all injured in the evil attack in New Orleans," Florida Sen. Rick Scott said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Friends graduated from same Fort Myers high school
Both Idelson and Eisele graduated from the Canterbury School in Fort Myers, Florida in 2023.
"@sandiegostateuniversity don’t take her away from me," Eisele wrote in a May 2023 Instagram post showing the pair at a beach together wearing college merchandise.
The Canterbury School posted a statement following the attack, expressing gratitude from both the teenagers' families for "the outpouring of thoughts, prayers, and offers of support for our daughters."
"We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the first responders, whose swift actions may have saved our daughters’ lives. To everyone who has reached out with love and support, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts," the statement reads.
The University of Georgia, where Eisele attends, also issued a statement confirming the student was "critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment."
Victims who died in the attack include 25-year-old audiovisual technician Matthew Tenedorio, 28-year-old former Princeton University football player Martin "Tiger" Bech and 27-year-old mother Nicole Perez.
Police fatally shot the driver in the attack at the scene, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old military veteran and U.S. citizen who lived in Houston. Deputy Assistant FBI Director Christopher Raia called the attack a premeditated "act of terrorism," adding that Jabbar said he joined the Islamic terrorist group ISIS in videos posted hours before the attack.
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Paste BN and Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press
This story was updated to add new information and to resolve an inaccuracy.