On April 14, Bronxites gathered at Lou Gehrig Plaza to commemorate more than 220 lives lost to the April 8 roof collapse disaster at Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Hundreds of mourners—joined by over a dozen local elected officials and representatives from the Dominican government—lit candles and waved flags in remembrance of the victims. The Bronx, home to a population that is more than 20% Dominican, stood in solidarity as participants prayed for those who had been enjoying a live performance by merengue star Rubby Pérez when the roof collapsed in the early morning hours. The disaster claimed at least 226 lives and left 150 others injured.
Among the victims killed were Bronx resident Manny Diaz, former Yankees pitcher Octavio Dotel, and retired NYPD 49th Precinct detective Emmanuel Gomez.
“These names are not just headlines. … They’re our family,” Borough President Vanessa Gibson told the crowd. “To all of our families who are grieving, we lift you up in prayer.”
Ahead of the gathering, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered state landmarks lit in white, red and blue, the colors of the Dominican flag, and American flags lowered to half-mast in honor of the victims.
Ordinary people lost their lives in what should have been a fun night of music and socializing, Hochul said at the vigil. “They came together just to be lifted out of their existence for a nice evening” when disaster struck out of nowhere, leaving a reminder of the fragility of life, she said.
With over one million Dominicans living in the state of New York, the tragedy is felt by those within and outside the culture, said Hochul. “Your pain is our pain.”
U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx and was the first Dominican member of Congress, said the United States and D.R. are joined by “an umbilical cord that has not been cut.”
Throughout the natural and human-caused tragedies that have befallen the Dominican Republic, “In the journey, we found friends who stood with us,” said Espaillat.
Some elected officials pointed out that what happened at Jet Set is not unlike disasters in the Bronx, including the Dec. 2023 partial collapse of a six-story apartment building at 1915 Billingsley Terrace, where, miraculously, no one was killed.
They also pointed to the 2022 Twin Parks fire that claimed 17 lives and the 1990 fire that took 87 lives at the Happy Land social club.
Assembly Member Landon Dais, whose wife is Dominican, said his mother-in-law’s family friends who were at Jet Set that night remain hospitalized, and their 20-year-old daughter died. Dais also said he coached baseball with the newly retired NYPD detective who fell victim to the disaster.
The Bronx acutely feels the pain of this tragedy, he said. “These families should not be grieving because this could have been prevented.”
Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who chairs the Committee on Housing and Buildings, said she has talked with the Dominican government about building integrity issues. Going forward, “We have to learn, and we have to do better. We have to save lives,” she said.
With the search for victims ended, investigators are now working to determine the cause of the collapse. At least one family has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the club owners.
A post on the Jet Set club’s Instagram account said the situation was “unexpected and painful.”
“In this difficult time, our prayers are with each of the affected families,” the post said. “We share their pain as if it were our own, because we are also grieving. We are collaborating fully and transparently with the relevant authorities to assist the victims and clarify what happened.”
Mayor Eric Adams traveled to the Dominican Republic from April 13 to 15 to survey the site and meet with victims’ families and first responders. Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., who represents parts of the South Bronx, joined the mayoral delegation.
After surveying the wreckage on April 14, Adams said, “My heart is shattered. And I will never forget the images that I saw here.”
“In God I trust. There are things that we don’t understand,” he continued. “But we must turn this pain into purpose. And I’m going to offer my assistance as the mayor to do everything possible to prevent something like this from happening again. We owe that to those we lost.”
The delegation — which also included New York City Department of Transportation Ydanis Rodriguez, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar, Fernando Radhamés Rodriguez, president of United Bodega of America and Bronx restaurateur Junior Martinez — assessed ways for individual New Yorkers and the city as a whole to help victims’ families as they recover.
The Latino Social Workers Coalition has established a hotline for those seeking confidential mental health support in English or Spanish following the Jet Set tragedy: (212) 684-3264.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
