Two former Princeton University football players, including a Montgomery County native, are among the victims of the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans.
Ryan Quigley, 26, who graduated from Lansdale Catholic High School in 2016, was hospitalized after a man intentionally drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd of people who were celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning. His friend and former teammate at Princeton, Tiger Bech, 27, died in the attack that killed at least 15 people and injured 30 others.
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The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
Bech and Quigley reportedly were on their way back to a hotel when the attack occurred. The two men, described as "best friends" by Bech's family, also worked at Seaport Global, a New York City brokerage firm. Bech, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, was in his home state for the holidays and spent time with college friends, his family said.
Lansdale Catholic posted a statement on Facebook Wednesday night, saying the school community is "praying for the full healing and complete recovery" of Quigley.
"We are incredibly proud to count Ryan among our graduates, and we are inspired by the ways in which his LC classmates are coming together to support his family during this difficult time," the statement read. It included a link to a GoFundMe campaign set up by Quigley's former classmates to help cover his medical expenses and Bech's funeral costs.
According to his profile on the Princeton Tigers website, Quigley is a two-time MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League who once led Lansdale Catholic to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship game.
The New Orleans attack was carried out by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas who previously served in the Army National Guard and had been working for the professional services company Deloitte, the FBI said. He was killed in a shootout with law enforcement officers after the attack. An ISIS flag was found in Jabbar's vehicle, investigators said.
The New Orleans attack prompted Philadelphia officials to tighten security at the annual Mummers Parade, which happened on New Year's Day without incident.