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Ben Franklin grad dead after falling 50 feet at abandoned power plant

18-year-old Anthony Clawson died from blunt force trauma. His death is still under investigation.

NEW ORLEANS — The Ben Franklin High School community is “shocked and devastated” by the death of 18-year-old Anthony Clawson. 

Friday night, the recently-graduated honor student was inside the old Market Street power plant, just upriver from the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. According to police, Clawson fell 50 feet. He died from his injuries on Saturday. 

Ben Franklin spokeswoman Eve Payton said, “Tony was a wonderful, kind student who was just about to start at LSU and had a bright future ahead of him.” 

Clawson’s mother Valerie Walker described her son to the Times Picayune, New Orleans Advocate as “poised” and “intelligent.”  

She said he received a full scholarship to LSU to study chemistry  

The old power plant supplied energy to New Orleans for more than 6 decades before closing down in the early 1970s. It has become an attraction for urban explorers, people who tour and capture images of modern-day ruins and abandoned sites. 

City Council Member Lesli Harris, whose district includes the property released a statement. 

She said, “My sincere condolences go out to the loved ones Tony has left behind.  His tragic death underscores the need for securing and improving the blighted structures that plague our city.” 

The property was purchased last spring by a team led by local businessman Louis Lauricella. They hope to redevelop the site as part of a new 39-acre entertainment district. Neither Lauricella nor any of his partners answered WWL-TV’s requests for comment. 

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