As the world rang in the New Year, gunshots and bombs also sounded around the United States. An inordinate amount of violence was seen on New Year’s Day, some individual acts and some possibly related to a larger terrorist effort. New Year’s celebrations serve as opportune moments for mass casualties, with hordes of people gathered late at night and more than likely inebriated. In the first days of 2025, social media and news outlets were flooded with reports of violence and terrorism.

Perhaps the most televised and reported event was the mass attack in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a crowd gathered on Bourbon Street, a pedestrian road known for its shops and bars, a Ford F-150 truck plowed through the masses in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Fourteen people were killed, and 35 were injured; all 14 victims have been identified. The person driving the truck was identified as U.S. citizen Shamsud-Din Jabbar, now dead from gunfire by the New Orleans police. Jabbar had announced his affiliation with ISIS, the terrorist organization, earlier in the night on social media. Additionally, police found an ISIS flag in the back of the truck, but ISIS has yet to claim responsibility for the attack. After further investigation, authorities have also discovered two possible explosive devices in the truck, as well as materials to make bombs in Jabbar’s residence. Out of all the violent attacks this New Year’s, this one is the most clearly tied to a terrorist organization, and is the only one to have been labeled officially as a terrorist attack.

Another incident occurred in Las Vegas on New Year’s morning. A Cybertruck pulled up to the front doors of Trump Tower, exploding shortly after. Matthew Livelsberger, the person responsible for the explosion, was found in the vehicle and had shot himself immediately before the explosives went off. No one else was injured, and Trump Tower received minimal damage. This event has gained notoriety for its political connotations, as the Cybertruck was created by Elon Musk, a close friend and advisor of Donald Trump. Livelsberger was a known supporter of Trump, and his phone contained two letters explaining his motivation. The letters shared his political sentiments that the country’s leaders were “weak” and greedy. Coincidentally, both the Cybertruck and the Ford F-150 in the New Orleans attack were rented using the same app, Turo. Due to this fact and their proximity in time, many believed them to be connected, however, there is no evidence suggesting this.

In New York, several gunmen began shooting into a crowd outside of a nightclub in Queens in the evening of New Year’s Day. A crowd was gathered there for a memorial event for a teenager who was killed via gun violence. As a result of the gunfire, 10 people were injured. No arrests have been made in response, and the New York police are still searching for the gunmen.

These are just a few incidents of violence, but there were more than 200 shootings across New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. This begs the question—is New Year’s really an auspicious occasion?

Information retrieved from ABC News, AP News, CBS News, the New York Times, and Gun Violence Archive.