Gymnast Olivia Dunne And Boyfriend Paul Skenes Narrowly Escape Terror Attack In New Orleans

American artistic gymnast Olivia Dunne and her boyfriend Paul Skenes partied at Bourbon Street, New Orleans, before a deadly attack that left over a dozen people dead on New Year's Day.

Dunne shared several pictures on Instagram that showed her and Skenes and some friends having fun with no idea of the tragedy that would befall Bourbon Street later on.

Following the terror attack, authorities identified Shamsud-Din Jabbar as the prime suspect. Jabbar died during a shootout with the police.

Dunne celebrated New Year's Eve with her boyfriend and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.

On Wednesday, she took to her Instagram Stories to share pictures from their eventful night.

In the first snap, the gymnast, who appeared to be indoors, posed by sticking her tongue out and making a goofy face.

The second picture in Dunne's post showed her, Skenes, his teammate Bubba Chandler, and Chandler's girlfriend, Allie Enright. In the snapshot, the fun-loving quartet was at a bar and looked to be having fun.

Dunne's last photo showed a lively Bourbon Street filled with fun lovers. Georgia flags hung on buildings ahead of the Bull Dogs' and Notre Dame's Sugar Bowl clash. She added a broken heart emoji to the picture but didn't give further details.

Dunne shared the pictures sometime before a US Army veteran flying an ISIS flag rammed a truck into a crowd of New Year's Eve partygoers at Bourbon Street, New Orleans.

According to the New York Post, at least 15 people died while dozens more sustained injuries following the attack, which is one of the deadliest terror attacks on US soil since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Authorities identified the truck driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The 42-year-old drove a rented Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup around a police blockade on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning around 3:15 a.m.

Afterward, he accelerated into crowds of merrymakers along the iconic stretch, leaving dead and injured people behind him.

Jabbar continued rampaging through the crowd until he slammed the truck into a crane blocking the pedestrian street. He got out of the vehicle and engaged the police in a shootout that left him dead.

The New Orleans attacks occurred hours before the Sugar Bowl, causing the College Football Playoff game between Georgia Bull Dogs and Notre Dame to be postponed until Thursday.

Following the attack, President Joe Biden said investigators were probing to see if it was connected to a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on Wednesday morning.

The Tesla Cybertruck explosion left the driver dead and seven others injured. Investigators are also probing if the explosion was motivated by terror. The FBI is also investigating if Jabbar had any co-conspirators working with him.

News of the attack at Bourbon Street would devastate Dunne, who would never have thought of such an occurrence while having fun with Skenes and their friends.

Dunne and Skenes met as student-athletes at LSU and started dating in 2023. In June 2023, Dunne shared a TikTok video of herself wearing Skenes' jersey, which sparked speculation about a possible romance.

In August 2023, Skenes confirmed he and Dunne were an item during an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He also admitted that their relationship being in the public eye had its challenges.

Skenes said, "I do wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it. It does irk me. I don't have any control over it. She really doesn't either. I'm sure it'll get better as I go up levels, but that's something I want for her."

Dunne and Skenes are very supportive of each other. The 22-year-old gymnast knows her man, who was drafted as the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft in July 2023, has a big future ahead of him. Hence, she does all she can to help him achieve greatness.

Unsurprisingly, the bikini-loving Dunne has attended many of Skenes' games and has been spotted cheering him on ever so loudly. The couple made their first red carpet appearance together at the MLB All-Star Game in June 2024.

While speaking to reporters at the event, she could not help but gush over Skenes' abilities, saying, "My brain can't even process how hard he throws. It is incredible and it's such a joy to watch. He's a great baseball player, but an even better person."