Jet suit owner charged with involuntary homicide after fatal roof collapse – State
The Office of the Attorney General of the Dominican Republic said the owner of Jet Set, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, was killed and charged with involuntary homicide when it collapsed in early April.
The agency's roof collapsed on April 8, with hundreds of concertgoers inside, prompting a multi-day search and rescue effort to find survivors and dead, irritating the country's substandard building safety norms.
Antonio Espaillat, a famous Dominican businessman and club owner, was also arrested Thursday after a former employee proved he had been in a dangerous state of poverty in the New York Times, proving that he had cancelled the owners of the Espaillat in dangerous situations to cancel the roof of the espaillat.
According to NBC News, the man identified himself as a former JET employee Gregory Adamés in an interview with Dominican digital news channel Altanto TV, who said he provided videos of conversations with Espaillat for prosecutors, suggesting that unfortunate parties should not move on because the roof could collapse.
Espaillat was detained Thursday after attending a hearing at the attorney general's office in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo.
Get national news
For news that affects Canada and around the world, please sign up for breaking news alerts that were sent directly to you at the time.
Maribel Espaillat, the sister of Antonio, who runs the club, is also charged with involuntary homicide.
Members of the Special Police Force detained Maribel Espaillat, the sister of businessman Antonio Espaillat, in Santo Domingo on 15 June 2025.
str/getty images
The Attorney General's Office wrote in a statement released that the siblings “had a great irresponsibility and negligence by failing to do the necessary things to ensure that the roof of the Jet Club has been adequate and professionally repaired,” the attorney general's office wrote, adding that they had tried to “manipulate or intimidate or intimidate” their employees.
Aerial view shows the rescue team working at night on the day after the collapse of Santo Domingo on April 9, 2025.
Alfred Davis/Getty Images
It provides no additional details.
Shortly after the disaster, Espaillat seemed to express remorse, telling the media that he was “destroyed” by a fatal incident, killing 236 people, adding that he would suffer if he could prevent the collapse.
“No warning, nothing. We were all surprised,” he said.
“I'll face everything,” he added. “I'm not going anywhere.”
Espaillat did not participate in the rescue work for concerns about his safety as angry crowds gathered at the scene.
The club was founded 52 years ago by Espaillat's mother Ana Grecia López, who became the backbone of nightlife in the city at the age of six and was frequently visited by many high-profile people.
It lasted for thirty years in the same location, according to the owner.
The victims of the collapse include seven doctors, a retired UN official, former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera and Montecristi Governor Nelsy Cruz, who are sisters of seven-time major league all-star Nelson Cruz.
It also killed Merengue Star Rubby Perez, who was performing while the roof crawled in.
Currently, no government agency is committed to inspecting the buildings of private businesses in the Dominican Republic, although President Louis Abinard announced after dismantling new legislation, which is expected to change the issue.
– Documents with the Associated Press
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
