New Orleans Jail Break Inspires Memes & Jokes As Hunt For Inmates Continues

Orleans Parish inmates left behind graffiti and chaos after a jailbreak that’s now fueling memes and mockery across social media platforms.

Orleans Parish inmates turned a serious jailbreak into an internet spectacle after surveillance footage of their escape and graffiti taunts ignited a wave of viral memes.

Ten prisoners slipped out of the Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans just after midnight on Friday (May 16) by tearing a metal toilet-sink unit from the wall and crawling through a hole behind it.

The group then scaled a fence using blankets to avoid barbed wire and sprinted across Interstate 10 into a nearby neighborhood.

Before vanishing, someone left a message above the escape hole that read “To Easy LoL” with an arrow pointing to the exit route.

The escape wasn’t discovered until more than seven hours later during a routine headcount, according to Fox 8 Live. Surveillance video released by the sheriff’s office showed inmates in orange and white uniforms bolting from the facility, triggering a manhunt involving over 200 officers.

As of Tuesday (May 20), four fugitives have been recaptured while six remain on the run. The escapees face a range of charges including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, domestic abuse, battery and illegal weapons possession.

One of the recaptured inmates, 21-year-old Gary C. Price, is charged with first-degree murder.

Authorities suspect internal assistance played a role in the escape. Three jail employees have been suspended without pay and a maintenance worker has been arrested for allegedly helping the inmates flee.

The jailbreak has taken on a second life online, where clips of the escape and the graffiti message have inspired a flood of memes, reaction videos and TikTok parodies.

Social media users have compared the footage to scenes from “Prison Break” and many mocked the facility’s security failures.

The Washington Post reported that the sheriff’s office is offering up to $20,000 for information leading to each remaining fugitive’s arrest.

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