Jet Set nightclub owner ‘destroyed' by roof collapse that killed 232

The owner of a Dominican Republic nightclub where 232 people died following a roof collapse earlier this month has admitted that the building had been riddled with structural issues for more than a decade, and that plasterboard was used on multiple occasions to make repairs.
On Wednesday, in his first interview since the April 8 disaster, Antonio Espaillat, the manager and owner of the plagued Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, told local TV station Telesistema that plasterboard had been added to the roof hours before it caved in.
Story continues below advertisement
According to The Associated Press, he noted that plasterboard had fallen repeatedly through the years, including when water filtered through the club's air conditioning units. Espaillat confirmed no one ever inspected the roof or water filtration systems.
He told reporters there were six air conditioning units on the roof, plus three water tanks, and that an electric generator was installed in an adjacent room, not on the roof.
Every six to eight years, a specialized crew would waterproof the roof, with the last waterproofing done about a month before the collapse, he explained.
'We always bought plasterboard. Always,' he continued.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Espaillat first learned of the tragedy when his sister called him while trapped in the debris alongside hundreds of other people who were attending a concert by merengue musician Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed.
He was in Las Vegas attending a convention when he received the news.
'To the families of the victims, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm very sorry,' Espaillat said. 'I am destroyed,' he continued, adding that if he could have prevented the collapse, he would have done everything in his power to do so.
'There was no warning, nothing. We were all surprised,' he said.
Story continues below advertisement
Espaillat did not attend the scene during rescue efforts over concerns for his safety as angry crowds had gathered at the site.
View image in full screen
A woman argues with Forensic National Institute morgue employees regarding delays in information following a roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo earlier this month. MARTIN BERNETTI / Getty Images
The club, which was founded 52 years ago by Espaillat's mother, Ana Grecia López, when he was just six years old, had become a pillar of the city's nightlife, and remained in the same location for three decades before it collapsed this month with about 515 people inside, the owner said.
View image in full screen
Friends and relatives gather outside the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo on April 12, 2025, to pay tribute to the victims who died when the building's roof collapsed earlier this month. EDDY VITTINI / Getty Images
In the 53 hours following the disaster, rescue crews found 189 survivors. Dozens of others were hospitalized.
Story continues below advertisement
The victims included seven doctors, a retired United Nations official, former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, the AP reported.
At least three lawsuits have been filed against the owners, the Dominican government, and the Santo Domingo mayor's office.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages from all and a criminal conviction for involuntary manslaughter against the owners.
Espaillat said he has barely slept in the weeks since the roof caved in and that he has been in touch with the families of his employees and some of the victims.
'I'm going to face everything,' he said. 'I'm not going anywhere.'
Since the disaster, questions have been raised about the safety of buildings across Santo Domingo and the rest of the country. The Dominican government has created an expert task force dedicated to investigating the cause of the incident.
There is currently no government agency dedicated to inspecting the buildings of private businesses in the Dominican Republic, although President Luis Abinader announced last week that new legislation is expected to change that.
— With files from the Associated Press

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Winnipeg Free Press

8 hours ago

• Winnipeg Free Press

New Hampshire city in ‘Jumanji' marks 30th anniversary with animal costume race

Madeline Murphy remembers the instructions she was given on the set of 'Jumanji' when she was an extra some 30 years ago: 'Pretend you're frightened and you're screaming because an elephant's coming after you.' So, that's what she did in the Central Square of Keene, New Hampshire, running back and forth, over and over, on a long day in November 1994. 'I was pretty tired by the end of the day, and it was cold,' said Murphy, 61. She got a check for $60.47 — and several seconds of screen time. Murphy was one of about 125 extras cast in the classic Robin Williams film, which is marking its 30th anniversary. It's spawned several sequels, including one planned for next year. The city of about 23,000 people in the southwestern corner of the state is celebrating its ties to 'Jumanji' this weekend. A featured event is a 'Rhino Rumble Road Race' saluting the film's stampede scenes of elephants, rhinos and zebras on Saturday. Runners in inflatable animal costumes are sprinting about a quarter mile (less than half a kilometer) around the square. There's also a cast party, a parade, and a scavenger hunt, among other events. Keene gets picked thanks to coffee craving Based on the 1981 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg about a mysterious jungle adventure board game, the movie version of 'Jumanji' is set in the fictional small town of Brantford, New Hampshire. Veteran location manager Dow Griffith was crisscrossing New England in search of the right spot. A coffee lover who grew up in Seattle, he recalled feeling desperate one day for a good brew. He was a bit east of Keene at the time, and someone suggested a shop that was near the square. 'I took my cherished cup of double dry cappuccino out to the front porch, took a sip, looked to my left — and by God — there was the place I had been looking for!' he told The Associated Press. 'So really, we have coffee to thank for the whole thing.' Scenes were filmed at the square that fall and the following spring. The fall scenes show a present-day town that had declined. Extras played homeless people and looters, in addition to panicked runners fleeing from the jungle animals. Joanne Hof, now 78, had needed her son's help to spot herself behind the elephants, running with her hands up. Hof, a reading specialist, bought a videotape of 'Jumanji' and showed it to the kids she worked with. 'They were very impressed that I was in the movie,' she said. The spring scenes, appearing early in the film, depict the town in 1969. Extras drove classic cars around the pristine-looking square and others walked around, dressed for that time period. 'I told the makeup person, 'Do you know how to do a French twist?'' recalled Kate Beetle, 74, of Alstead, who said she can be seen for 'a micro-second' crossing a street. 'They just found me the right lady's suit and right flat shoes, and then the hair is kind of what I suspect did it.' The city helped transform itself The 'Jumanji' crews worked well with the city in getting the permits to transform Central Square into a dilapidated, neglected piece of public property, recalled Patty Little, who recently retired as Keene's clerk. 'They brought in old, dead shrubbery and threw it around and made the paint peel on the gazebo,' she said. Items such as parking meters and lilac bushes were removed and a large Civil War-era statue was brought in to cover a fountain. Graffiti was on the walls and crumpled vehicles in the stampede scene were anchored in place. Everything was restored, and fresh flowers were brought in the following spring, she said. Crews spent a total of about a week in the city for both settings. Little, whose classic 1961 Ambassador is caught on camera, could see everything happening from her office window. 'Did I get a lot of work done? I don't know during those days,' she said. Locals watch and meet Robin Williams A crowd turned out to watch a long-haired, bearded Williams run down the street in a leaf-adorned tunic. In the movie, he had just been freed from the game that had trapped him as a boy for years. 'He's shorter than I thought he was!' one viewer said, according to local chronicler Susan MacNeil's book, 'When Jumanji Came to Keene.' Others said, 'He has great legs — muscular, isn't he? But so hairy!' and 'Isn't he freezing dressed like that?' The mayor honored him with a key to the city. Williams, noticing the mayor was a bit shorter, suddenly announced at the presentation, ''I am the mayor of Munchkinland,'' with a voice to match, City Councilor Randy Filiault recalled. He stayed in character for 15 to 20 minutes, 'just bouncing off the walls,' approaching people in the audience and pulling their hats over their eyes. Eventually, he stopped, ending with a solemn 'Thank you,' Filiault said. 'I am really seeing something cool here,' Filiault remembered thinking. 'How fortunate we were.' When Williams died by suicide in 2014, people left flowers and photos beneath a painted 'Parrish Shoes' wall sign advertising a fictional business left over from 'Jumanji.' Former Keene police officer Joe Collins, who was assigned to watch over then-child actors Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, also died by suicide, last year. Festival organizers planned a discussion about mental health and suicide prevention to pay tribute to Williams and Collins. 'I think Robin would have been impressed with that,' said Murphy, who met Williams and shook his hand. ___ In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at

Toronto Star

13 hours ago

• Toronto Star

‘Jaws' at 50: The cult classic and the parental debates it set off

LOS ANGELES — It didn't take long for 'Jaws' to make an impression. The movie that launched the summer blockbuster season and changed how people view sharks and the ocean 50 years ago also created a dilemma for parents: Was it a movie their children could watch? To help answer that, The Associated Press went to the film's star, Roy Scheider.

Global News

19 hours ago

• Global News

Rapper Fat Joe accused of sex with minors in $20M lawsuit by ex-employee

NOTE: The following article contains disturbing details. Please read at your own discretion. Rapper Fat Joe's former hypeman, Terrance 'T.A.' Dixon, has filed a lawsuit against him in federal court, alleging that his former boss engaged in sex acts with minors in a $20-million lawsuit. Dixon also alleges his former boss, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, engaged in 'coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation and psychological coercion.' The 157-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, details claims about Cartagena's alleged sexual relations, including with minors. Dixon states that Cartagena allegedly forced him 'into humiliating situations, including sex acts performed under duress and surveillance, accompanied by threats of abandonment in foreign countries if [he] refused compliance,' according to the documents, obtained by Variety Story continues below advertisement Dixon alleges that 'he was coerced into more than 4,000 sexual acts to maintain his standing within the Enterprise.' The suit also claims that Dixon 'personally witnessed [Fat Joe] engaged in sexual relations with children who were fifteen and sixteen years old,' listing three as Jane Does, including a 16-year-old Dominican girl in New York who, 'in exchange for cash, clothing, and payment of her cell phone bill … would [perform] oral sex and other sexual acts' on Cartagena. Another Doe, referred to as 'Minor Doe 2,' is a white female and not a U.S. citizen, according to the documents. '[Fat Joe] began having sexual relations with Minor Doe 2 when she was 15 years old after a concert overseas. Defendant flew Minor Doe 2 to New York City and Miami, Florida, on multiple occasions. Due to Minor Doe 2's body being adolescent and not fully formed, Defendant paid for her to get a Brazilian Butt Lift. Minor Doe 2 eventually left Defendant and is now married to a professional athlete,' the complaint reads. Story continues below advertisement Minor Doe 3 is a Latina female who 'met the defendant when she was 15 years old, turning 16.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy According to Dixon, 'Defendant was in love with Minor Doe 3. He even contemplated leaving his wife. The Defendant paid all Minor Doe 3's bills and even took her overseas to his tour stops. He brought her to Florida and would put her up in a condo he rented a few blocks from his house with his wife.' 'In a recorded conversation, Minor Doe 3 and her 15-year-old cousin describe in detail to Plaintiff how 'inappropriate' it was for Defendant, who was in his late 30s at the time, to be fawning over children,' according to the lawsuit. 'Fat Joe is Sean Combs minus the Tusi,' Tyrone Blackburn, Dixon's lawyer, wrote in a statement to USA Today, referencing the ongoing criminal trial for Sean 'Diddy' Combs and the alleged drugs the music mogul is accused of using. 'We have additional pages of predicated acts which we are itching to disclose if the defendants call our bluff.' Cartagena's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, responded to the lawsuit, saying, 'The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation — a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats, and manufactured allegations.' Story continues below advertisement 'Law enforcement is aware of the extortionate demand at the heart of this scheme. The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure. Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable,' the statement added. The suit also names some of Cartagena's 'key associates' in his alleged 'criminal enterprise,' including Pete 'Pistol Pete' Torres and Richard 'Rich Player' Jospitre. It additionally names Jay-Z's Roc Nation, which represents Cartagena, and claims the company knowingly participated in 'concealing, transferring, and manipulating' Dixon's authorship rights and royalty interests and sought to intimidate, harass and obstruct Dixon's claims against Cartagena, Torres and Jospitre. Dixon also accuses Cartagena, Torres and Jospitre of engaging 'in deliberate tax fraud schemes' to allegedly conceal wage theft. He also claims he was 'consistently underpaid, denied songwriting credits, and deliberately concealed from royalties and backend compensation.' The lawsuit comes after Cartagena sued Dixon in April for slander on social media by accusing him of being a pedophile online. Cartagena claimed Dixon's allegations were a 'money grab,' and noted that he generously paid Dixon, who he says 'enjoyed the perquisites of touring, luxurious travel, and other fringe benefits of a world-renowned musician's team.' Story continues below advertisement 'This is the right way to fight, Joe — through the system. You can't fight him no other way,' Dixon told Variety. 'Joe think he's a god. Joe thinks he's untouchable.'