In a devastating incident in Santo Domingo, the Jet Set nightclub saw its roof collapse on April 8, resulting in the deaths of 235 people and injuring almost 200 more. On that fateful Monday evening, the club was preparing for a large event, having sold 379 tickets when concerns about the roof's integrity escalated. Gregorio Adames, the reservations manager, alerted club owner Antonio Espaillat about the serious damage after noticing chunks of the roof falling, which raised alarms about the overall safety of the venue.
Despite Adames' urgent messages and a previous incident where a ceiling panel had fallen and injured a patron, the show was tragically allowed to continue. When Espaillat could not be reached, decisions about the event fell to his sister, Maribel, who felt constrained without her brother's authorization. This led to a series of dangerous circumstances culminating in the catastrophic collapse just after midnight.
The legal repercussions have begun, with the Espaillat siblings now facing charges of involuntary homicide. They have been detained as prosecutors seek a bail denial for Antonio Espaillat and proposed house arrest for Maribel. The shocking incident has left an indelible mark, affecting families who lost loved ones from multiple countries, including the United States, and leaving many children orphaned by the tragedy.
