SANTO DOMINGO – The roof showed signs of impending collapse long ago. Alarms were going off everywhere, offering clear indications of the irreversible deterioration. A “stubborn employee” sensed the danger and warned two bosses, who were completely “deaf,” about the dire consequences that could be coming.
Structural failures and leaks became commonplace in the iconic nightclub, which boasted a modern interior design, where the furniture had been replaced a few years earlier with the latest trends.
In the eyes of the public, who confidently frequented the most traditional dance venue in the National District, the Jet Set was the place to be. For many tourists, it was a must-see. For some Dominicans, it was the ideal place to celebrate life. It wasn't difficult to run into prominent figures of Dominican society there, the famous and the powerful. Because the Jet Set was the place for memorable encounters, for its regular visitors, "it was like a family.".
But the revelations made by the Public Prosecutor's Office in its request for pretrial detention against siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat leave nothing to the imagination. They expose the hellish conditions within a structure that was screaming at the top of its lungs that it could no longer endure.
On April 7, in the afternoon, hours before the tragic event that left 236 dead, more than 180 injured and more than 100 children orphaned, the ceiling gave a stark warning that death was lurking, screaming that it would be relentless: “A sound was heard of an object falling on the false ceiling, and everyone there noticed what had happened, but only Gregorio Adames Arias established that it was a piece of the ceiling,” says the Public Ministry's request for coercive measures on page 58.
The document states that Manuel Jiménez Mateo, José Luis García Jiménez and Roger Hernández (deceased) were with Gregorio.
At 2:33 pm on the same April 7, 2025, a few hours after the events, the document states, Gregorio Adames Arias sent a message to Antonio Espaillat López stating "that there is an important issue to resolve in the nightclub, that the ceilings were breaking because pieces of the roof were falling and that was dangerous.".
That same day, at 2:44 pm, Manuel Jiménez Mateo informed businessman Espaillat that the bad ceiling tiles had been replaced and that Gregorio Adames Arias was insisting that stones were falling from the roof, for which reason he had contacted a company to carry out a survey of the entire structure, that they would go the following Wednesday or Thursday and that they were working on the asphalt tarpaulin, to which the owner of Jet Set responded that he agreed with both things.
The document explains that despite being notified of the situation, Espaillat López did not give instructions to suspend the party scheduled for that night, which later plunged the entire country into mourning. “He completely disregarded the statement made by Gregorio Adames Arias and the potential consequences, such as the damage that any debris could cause to employees, the public, and members of Rubby Pérez’s band,” the prosecution document states.
One last warning
At approximately 11:40 p.m., when one of the false ceiling panels fell on Remberto José Duran Cabrera, who had gone to enjoy the party with his wife, he was assisted by Gregorio Adames Arias and a member of the venue's security staff, sustaining an injury. “Following this, Gregorio Adames Arias went to inform Maribel Espaillat, who was in charge of the nightclub due to the absence that night of the defendant Antonio Espaillat López, of the situation, telling her that the party should be suspended. The defendant replied that this was not possible because only the aforementioned defendant could order such a thing, and he was out of the country. Therefore, the event continued until the moment the ceiling collapsed,” the Public Prosecutor's Office stated.
Fourteen years (from 2011 to 2025) of progressive deterioration and constant warnings were not enough to heed the voice of a roof that finally revealed its end, along with that of 236 people who left this world while seeking the fun of the Jet Set of dreams. Because the torrent of water foreshadowed the relentless storm, whose ambulances woke the Dominican Republic on April 8, writing one of the saddest chapters in its history.
