Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech, 27, was among at least 14 people killed in the New Orleans attack on Wednesday, his sister confirmed to CNN.
Virginia Bech, 29, said her younger brother was outside a pizza shop on Bourbon Street, walking back to his hotel with a friend, when the attack unfolded.
His friend, Ryan Quigley, was wounded in the attack, she said.
Tiger Bech, from Lafayette, Louisiana, played college football at Princeton and moved to New York City after graduating in 2021 to work as a junior trader for Seaport Global Holdings, a capital markets firm, his sister said.
He was visiting Louisiana for the holidays.
The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed in the terror attack in New Orleans. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.
The last time Virginia Bech heard from her brother was shortly before 1:30 a.m. when he texted their family group chat saying, “Happy new year.”
The last message she sent to her brother said: “Happy new year Tig. I love you and so proud of all you accomplished in 2024. 2025, let’s get it!”
A few hours later, Tiger was dead. His sister said he sustained internal injuries, including head trauma, in the attack when a driver rammed a pickup truck into the crowd on Bourbon Street.
His friend, Quigley, is in a stable condition but suffered a severe laceration to the head and a broken leg, Virginia Bech said.
Princeton’s football coach Bob Surace described Tiger Bech as “a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend.”
Hailing from a family of athletes, most of whom played football at Louisiana State University, Tiger was beloved by friends and family as a larger-than-life person who loved to travel, his sister said.
UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.
