It was the Studio 54 of the Dominican Republic, an iconic discotheque where elites from all walks of life partied and seemingly everyone in the country dreamed of going.
But early Tuesday morning, the Jet Set in the capital city of Santo Domingo became the scene of one of the worst tragedies in the Caribbean nation’s history when its roof collapsed, killing at least 124 people.
The victims included some of the most famous and powerful people in the country. Among them were former Major League Baseball players, an internationally celebrated merengue singer who was performing, and politicians, including one whom some thought could have become the country’s first female president.
Dominican immigrants on Long Island interviewed by Newsday on Wednesday said they were stunned, grief-stricken and in some cases angry over speculation the five-decade-old club was not properly maintained or inspected.
Nilda Mencia, 53, a life coach who lives in Bellport, said she had been crying since she found out about the calamity on Tuesday.
“This discotheque was an icon in the Dominican Republic,” she said. “It was the place everybody wanted to go to,” including herself. She was there in the late 80s.
She was especially hard hit by the death of singer Rubby Perez, whom she considered a symbol of the merengue-mad country. Jet Set was so popular people including international celebrities would flock there on Monday nights for special merengue shows by artists like him even after a busy weekend of partying.
“There were a lot of important people there,” Mencia said in Spanish. “They went to party and they lost their lives in an instant.”
She added: “Something like this has never happened in the Dominican Republic.”
Other victims included former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel, a former Yankees and Mets player, and Tony Blanco, who played for the Washington Nationals
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the province of Monte Cristi, also died. While trapped in the wreckage, she was able to call the country’s president, Luis Abinader, to alert him to the disaster. Cruz was the sister of former MLB star Nelson Cruz. She also was a rising political star who might have become president, said Jenniffer Martinez, 42, a Dominican immigrant who lives in Glen Cove.
Abinader has declared three days of national mourning.
Rescue efforts were still ongoing on Wednesday, but authorities said hope was fading they would find anyone alive.
“The entire country is grieving,” said Jose Cabera, 61, a construction worker from Brentwood.
That so many prominent people were killed in the collapse “makes it even more sad,” he said in Spanish. “And to know there are still people trapped in there … with very little chance of finding them alive.”
Martinez, who visited Jet Set when she was 17, said she was still trying to fathom the extent of the tragedy.
“I’m very heartbroken, all the lives we lost, the families,” she said.
She added that she was “deeply sorry because I was one of Rubby Perez’s fans. I grew up listening to his music.”
Like others, Martinez said her grief was mixed with frustration and even anger, because she believes there were warning signs the building needed repairs. “This tragedy shouldn’t happen,” she said
It was the Studio 54 of the Dominican Republic, an iconic discotheque where elites from all walks of life partied and seemingly everyone in the country dreamed of going.
But early Tuesday morning, the Jet Set in the capital city of Santo Domingo became the scene of one of the worst tragedies in the Caribbean nation’s history when its roof collapsed, killing at least 124 people.
The victims included some of the most famous and powerful people in the country. Among them were former Major League Baseball players, an internationally celebrated merengue singer who was performing, and politicians, including one whom some thought could have become the country’s first female president.
Dominican immigrants on Long Island interviewed by Newsday on Wednesday said they were stunned, grief-stricken and in some cases angry over speculation the five-decade-old club was not properly maintained or inspected.
Nilda Mencia, 53, a life coach who lives in Bellport, said she had been crying since she found out about the calamity on Tuesday.
“This discotheque was an icon in the Dominican Republic,” she said. “It was the place everybody wanted to go to,” including herself. She was there in the late 80s.
She was especially hard hit by the death of singer Rubby Perez, whom she considered a symbol of the merengue-mad country. Jet Set was so popular people including international celebrities would flock there on Monday nights for special merengue shows by artists like him even after a busy weekend of partying.
“There were a lot of important people there,” Mencia said in Spanish. “They went to party and they lost their lives in an instant.”
She added: “Something like this has never happened in the Dominican Republic.”
Other victims included former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel, a former Yankees and Mets player, and Tony Blanco, who played for the Washington Nationals
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the province of Monte Cristi, also died. While trapped in the wreckage, she was able to call the country’s president, Luis Abinader, to alert him to the disaster. Cruz was the sister of former MLB star Nelson Cruz. She also was a rising political star who might have become president, said Jenniffer Martinez, 42, a Dominican immigrant who lives in Glen Cove.
Abinader has declared three days of national mourning.
Rescue efforts were still ongoing on Wednesday, but authorities said hope was fading they would find anyone alive.
“The entire country is grieving,” said Jose Cabera, 61, a construction worker from Brentwood.
That so many prominent people were killed in the collapse “makes it even more sad,” he said in Spanish. “And to know there are still people trapped in there … with very little chance of finding them alive.”
Martinez, who visited Jet Set when she was 17, said she was still trying to fathom the extent of the tragedy.
“I’m very heartbroken, all the lives we lost, the families,” she said.
She added that she was “deeply sorry because I was one of Rubby Perez’s fans. I grew up listening to his music.”
Like others, Martinez said her grief was mixed with frustration and even anger, because she believes there were warning signs the building needed repairs. “This tragedy shouldn’t happen,” she said
