'Salem A Potential Target': New Orleans Terrorist Attack Response Planned For Halloween

SALEM, MA — Security changes are already being planned for Haunted Happenings 2025 in October "which will be an additional imposition on downtown residents and businesses" after Salem officials met Thursday in the wake of the New Year's terrorist attack in New Orleans that killed 14 and injured more than 100 on Bourbon Street.

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo and Police Chief Lucas Miller said in a joint statement that "it would be short-sighted not to consider Salem a potential target for those who might seek to make a political statement through violence." They outlined a series of preliminary actions planned to mitigate that risk during October when more than 100,000 visitors can descend upon downtown in a single day and more than 1 million visitors come to the city during the season.

"The starkest lesson seems to be that while New Orleans enacted very similar measures to Salem to keep people on the street safe, the assailant was able to simply drive around barriers, either because mechanical bollards were out of service or because he drove on the sidewalk," they said. "Another lesson is that while Mardi Gras would be the most likely event for an attack in New Orleans, any well-attended event is a target. Salem also has events throughout the year."

• More Than A Dozen Killed In New Year's Attack In New Orleans

Safety measures discussed include the installation of additional bollards — sturdy metal posts — around pedestrian areas, which they said had already been planned but would be accelerated following the attack, as well as additional Jersey barriers.

"Planning for pedestrian-only areas will have to be more rigid and enforced more completely this October, which will be an additional imposition on downtown residents and businesses," they allowed.

Other security measures could include bringing in more officers from other communities and agencies and the commission of an outside specialist review of existing Haunted Happenings public safety plans.

"This conversation is not over, and we will continue to evaluate information from New Orleans to better learn from that terrible attack and improve on our own safety operations here in Salem," Pangallo and Miller said. "While we are thinking about Salem, today we also grieve with the city of New Orleans and with the families and loved ones of those killed.

"We hope for a full recovery for all who were injured, and we stand in admiration for the NOPD officers who ended the threat and saved additional lives."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)