NE WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) – For some families here in Northeast Wisconsin, the deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans is hitting close to home.
One family was there on a holiday vacation. The other was ready to cheer on their son in the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game, which has now been postponed, in the wake of Wednesday’s rampage.
It started out as an exciting trip to New Orleans for the Schrauth family, who hail from Campbellsport. They were in the Big Easy to watch St. Mary’s Springs Academy graduate turned Notre Dame Fighting Irish lineman Billy Schrauth play against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
But their celebration turned somber overnight.
“We were having a good time, all excited. We met up with Billy at the hotel last night. Usually they have a little family hour where we can meet up with them, and we went to bed and woke up to this terrible news,” Jodi Schrauth, Billy’s mother, told FOX 11.
The Schrauths are just one of the dozens of Notre Dame families — along with many others in New Orleans — who were asked to avoid the area of Bourbon Street after it morphed into a crime scene following Wednesday’s early-morning terrorist attack.
“There’s very few people when you look out our hotel window, walking around on the streets and sidewalks. So they must be spreading that word to everybody to kind of stay put,” said Tim and Jen Schrauth, Billy’s father and step-mother.
“The eerie part is that we were there hours before, eating at the restaurant where it happened at, right down below, so that makes it kind of hard on our part,” added Billy’s uncle, Jeff Narges.
The events of Wednesday morning lead officials to postpone the Sugar Bowl until Thursday — a measure taken to ensure everyone’s safety.
“It’s so sad what had to happen. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all of the families and the victims. It’s so sad. Makes the football game look pretty small,” said Tim and Jen.
On Tuesday, the Schrauths were taking in the Sugar Bowl parade. Now, they’re left feeling grateful to be safe and alive.
“It was such an exciting day. I was ready for the game today, all ready. We should be tailgating right now,” said Carson Narges, Billy’s young cousin.
The Sorbo family from Green Bay was in New Orleans this week, too. They shared videos and pictures of their post-Christmas visit to the French Quarter with FOX 11.
“We tried to do as much as we can in three days, get a sense of the city and stuff. But there were people everywhere. There were a lot of people,” Tim Sorbo said.
The Sorbos headed back home to Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon, about 12 hours before the terrorist attack.
My family is safe, so we’re good. But you’re just like, it’s unfortunate that it has to happen,” Sorbo said. “It makes you feel like, ‘Do I ever want to go back there?’ It’s more dangerous than I really want to be.
While the Sorbos are home, the Schrauths are still in New Orleans — rescheduling their travel plans to stay for Thursday’s Sugar Bowl. It’s a game with national championship implications that will definitely sit heavy on their hearts for what happened outside of the stadium.
Authorities say 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas and an Army veteran, was responsible for the attack. He allegedly took advantage of a security system that was under repair in preparation for New Orleans to host the Super Bowl next month — enabling him to drive a pickup truck around a parked police vehicle on the sidewalk of Bourbon Street and ram into a large crowd.
So far, 15 people have died and more than 30 others injured. Jabbar was killed in a gunfight with police following the attack.
The FBI is investigating the assault as an act of terrorism. They do not believe Jabbar acted alone and are continuing to search for accomplices.
According to officials, Jabbar posted videos online “mere hours” before the attack, expressing a desire to kill and saying he had been inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group. A black ISIS flag was inside the vehicle.
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