A tragic incident at the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic claimed the lives of 124 people. Over 150 people were injured in the incident, where the roof of the nightclub collapsed into the crowd. The club was filled with hundreds of people who were attending a concert. Some 400 rescuers were involved in the search for survivors.
The nightclub, located in the capital city of Santo Domingo, regularly hosted events on Monday evenings. These events were attended by celebrities, including athletes, politicians, and other key figures. Several video footages of the incident surfaced on social media.
Rubby Pérez’s musical concert was happening during the Dominican Republic nightclub collapse | Credits: @rubbyperezoficial/IG
Merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who sang at the concert during the accident, was among those confirmed dead. Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco also lost their lives in the tragic incident. Another casualty at the event was Nelsy Cruz, the provincial governor of Monte Cristi and the sister of former Texas Rangers star Nelson Cruz.
4 celebrities who lost their lives in the Dominican Republic nightclub collapse
Dominican Republic head of emergency operations, Juan Manuel Méndez, told BBC that the rescue team has 24 to 36 hours left to find survivors under the rubble. While they managed to pull out many people from under the rubble, they weren’t able to save all of them. Here are the celebrities who lost their lives in the tragedy.
1. Nelsy Cruz
Nelsy Milagro Cruz Martínez, gobernadora de la provincia Montecristi y hermana del expelotero de Grandes Ligas, Nelson Cruz, fue una de las personas que murió tras el desplome del techo de la discoteca JetSet en República Dominicana. pic.twitter.com/TEjQrSbBZm— Molusco (@Moluskein) April 8, 2025
Nelsy Cruz was one of the politicians who lost her life in the Dominican Republic nightclub collapse. She was the governor of the Monte Cristi province in the Dominican Republic. She was also the sister of former MLB legend Nelson Cruz, who played for the Texas Rangers.
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Nelson Cruz issued a statement on Instagram informing his followers about the death of his sister. In his message, he wrote that Nelsy “lived a life of dedication, commitment, and love for her people and community” (translation via Star-Telegram). He added, “Her legacy of service and love for others will live on forever in our hearts.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nelson Cruz (@ncboomstick23)
According to BBC, Cruz survived the initial impact and even called the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, to inform him about the situation. She placed the call from under the debris, asking the president to send emergency services for rescue operations.
Her father shared that she placed her next call to her brother, Nelson. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries from falling glass in the hospital.
2. Rubby Pérez
Merengue singer Rubby Pérez lost his life during the Dominican Republic nightclub collapse | Credits: @rubbyperezoficial/IG
Legendary Merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing on stage at Jet Set nightclub when the roof collapsed. In several footages of the accident on social media, Pérez can be seen singing while the accident happened.
Sickening moment roof collapses at Dominican Republic nightclub pic.twitter.com/14ra4Zh39y— New York Post (@nypost) April 9, 2025
Pérez’s daughter Zulinka was also present on the stage as a backing singer in her father’s band. She shared that she was singing with her father when the tragedy happened (via BBC). She was saved by her husband, who protected her from the falling debris, using his body as a shield. She shared that she had to make it out of the tragic accident “to be there for our son.”
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Zulinka shared that her father was trapped in the debris for hours. She reportedly told local media, “They found him singing, he started to sing so they would hear him.” However, rescue workers couldn’t save his life, and his team confirmed his death via social media.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rubby Pérez (@rubbyperezoficial)
Pérez was the lead vocalist for the Wilfrido Vargas Orchestra before he transitioned into a solo career. Last Wednesday, the Merengue singer performed in Washington Heights.
3. Tony Blanco
We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic death of former Major Leaguer Tony Blanco in Tuesday’s tragedy in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo.Blanco played in 56 games for the inaugural Washington Nationals team in 2005, including the first game in… pic.twitter.com/14BWiXY7Os— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2025
Several reports coming in about MLB player Tony Blanco suggest that he did a final heroic after before his tragic death. Blanco reportedly saved the life of his friend and former MLB player Esteban Germán. MLB reporter Héctor Gómez shared on X that Germán had revealed to him about the moments before the tragedy took Blanco’s life.
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According to Gómez, Germán was returning from the bathroom at the time of the collapse. When he was about to be seated at his table, Blanco pushed him to safety when he realized that the roof was about to fall on him. Blanco, unfortunately, died moments later, while Germán survived.
Former MLB player Esteban Germán told me that at the time of the collapse in Jet Set, he was returning from the bathroom and, before sitting down at the table, Tony Blanco pushed him when he realized part of the ceiling was about to fall on him.Unfortunately, Blanco didn’t… https://t.co/PLOQVJqifT— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 8, 2025
Blanco started as a third baseman in the Boston Red Sox before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. In 2005, he joined the Washington Nationals and earned a spot on their main roster. He appeared in 56 Major League games during his debut season. He last played for Orix Buffaloes in the Nippon Professional Baseball.
4. Octavio Dotel
Octavio Dotel with his wife Massiel Dotel | Credits: @massieljavierdotel/IG
Former MLB pitcher, Octavio Dotel, was pulled out of the debris and rushed to the hospital, but he died on the way to the hospital. Hours before his death, Dotel’s wife, Massiel Dotel, posted a video where she sat next to her husband and talked about their happy marriage (via Men’s Journal). However, it turned out to be a heartbreaking video after Octavio Dotel’s death.
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Dotel played in the Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2013. He made his MLB debut with the New York Mets before being traded to the Houston Astros. Dotel also played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers.
MLB released a statement, mourning the death of its two players and Nelsy Cruz. They shared (via BBC):
Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo.
We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.
The Mets observed a moment of silence as a tribute to Dotel during Tuesday’s game against Miami Marlins.
Emergency workers are still working tirelessly on rescue operations. Estimates put the nightclub’s attendance in the range between 500 and 1,000.
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