‘Werewolf’ is the suspect in surreal 3 am burglary, New Orleans police say

New Orleans is often associated with vampires, but someone resembling a werewolf is currently wanted by police.

And the department posted a photo on social media that backs up the description.

The suspect is wanted for a burglary that occurred around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, April 15, which aligns with the waning of the April 13 full moon.

“He” is believed to have been wearing a mask, since werewolves — or rougarous as the Cajuns call them — aren’t known to need crowbars.

“The pictured suspect climbed over the fence at the rear of a business in the 6000 block of Chef Menteur Highway. He defeated the door to the business, put on the werewolf mask shown in the third photo, and entered the store,” police said.

“While inside, he used a crowbar to break into the cash registers and took cash. He also took merchandise, which he carried away in black plastic bags, before fleeing.”

Social media reaction to the post has been largely amused, including references to “the werewolf bandit.”

“I might be a snitch but you gotta be crazy to rat out a (rougarou),” Dustin Mock wrote on the department’s Facebook page.

“Best you can do is start looking for a confused guy with a ripped shirt,” Irin Sarx posted.

“It’s New Orleans ... are you sure it is a mask?” Windy Starr Elam Tiller asked on the department’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 7:24 AM.