Antoine Massey, a 32-year-old fugitive with a flair for defying the law, has pulled off his most audacious stunt yet, evading capture for 19 days after a bold jailbreak from Orleans Parish jail in New Orleans on May 16, 2025. This jaw-dropping run shatters his previous record of 15 days on the lam, set when he was just 15 years old, and has left police scrambling in a high-stakes manhunt. With a history of slipping through the cracks and a recent social media stunt grabbing headlines, Massey’s latest escape is a chilling reminder of his knack for outsmarting the system.
Massey’s most recent breakout was nothing short of cinematic. Alongside nine other inmates, he exploited a weak spot in Orleans Parish jail, cutting a hole behind a toilet to slip into the night. While eight of his fellow escapees have been nabbed, Massey and one other fugitive, Derrick Groves, remain ghosts as of June 4, 2025. This isn’t Massey’s first rodeo.
In 2007, as a teenager, he busted out of the Youth Study Center in New Orleans by prying open a broken lock and smashing a window with metal shackles. He roamed free for 15 days before cops found him on an Interstate 10 service road. In 2019, he fled the Morehouse Detention Center in Monroe, Louisiana, only to be caught the same day in Texas. Then, in 2023, he sliced off an ankle monitor just two hours after being placed on electronic monitoring, though details of his recapture are murky. For more details on his past escapes, you can read about New Orleans Fugitive Antoine Massey’s 4 Escapes Including 2019 Texas Run.
This time, Massey’s not just running; he’s making noise. On June 1, 2025, he posted now-deleted Instagram videos that set the internet ablaze. In them, he showed his face, marked by bold facial tattoos, and claimed he was “let out” of jail, not an escapee. He called out a jail plumber for lying, denied the serious charges against him, like kidnapping and rape, and even pleaded for help from rapper Lil Wayne. You can find more information on his plea to Meek Mill and Lil Wayne on Instagram.
The video sparked a frenzy, with law enforcement raiding a New Orleans home where they were filmed, only to find clothing and no Massey. Experts say these posts scream desperation, a sign he’s running low on resources, but they also show his brazen confidence. His aunt even stated he only wanted to watch his baby graduate.
So, why can’t the police pin him down? Massey’s got a playbook that keeps him one step ahead. He likely leans on a tight-knit network of friends and family, with at least 15 people already linked to aiding the escapees, some now facing charges, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. His years of experience as an escape artist give him an edge, from knowing how to lie low to dodging detection. Add to that the deep mistrust in New Orleans’ justice system, which may be keeping tipsters quiet, and you’ve got a fugitive who’s tough to trap. A multi-state manhunt with a $50,000 reward hasn’t slowed him down, and as the hunt hits its third week, frustration is mounting.
Massey’s 19-day run has cemented his legend as a master of evasion, but it’s also a black eye for jail security. With every day he stays free, the pressure grows to plug the gaps that let him slip away. The public is on edge, wondering where he’ll pop up next. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward, as the clock ticks on one of the most gripping crime sagas in New Orleans history.
