New Orleans police on Thursday (April 7) identified the 33-year-old man who died after falling from a Harrah's casino escalator as North Carolina native James Edward Darst. Detectives were continuing to investigate Darst's death but did not suspect foul play.

Darst and his co-workers stopped at the casino around 2:30 a.m. About an hour later, they headed to the Masquerade Club, located in the center of the sprawling casino, and started walking up an escalator to the second floor, police said.

While on the escalator, Darst tried to slide down the handrail. He fell, drawing the attention of his co-workers and other casino patrons. Darst was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Harrah's general manager, Dan Real, expressed condolences to the man's family. "Harrah's is fully cooperating with the local authorities as a thorough investigation of this incident is conducted," Real said in a  statement reads. "At this time, we are not able to provide any further information on this matter."