Wednesday marks one year since the roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic that killed 236 people.
Several victims were from the Tri-State Area, and a vigil is being held in New York City to remember them.
Victims remembered
One year later, the love and loss is still sharp in the hearts of Jennifer Contreras‘ family.
Contreras was killed in the collapse on April 8, 2025, one day before her 24th birthday.
“These next few days, I’m just, I’m going to be sick to my stomach because it’s like if I’m reliving it all over again,” sister Luz Contreras said.
“I don’t believe my daughter is not here,” mother Dina Marcelo said.
The family said Jennifer Contreras was in the Dominican Republic for a week to take a specialized cosmetics class.
“She very sweet. She happy. She dance all the time,” Marcelo said.
“She loved everybody and everybody loved her,” Luz Contreras said.
Rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Eddy Vittini / AP
Nightclub owners charged
The nightclub’s owners, Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, were arrested and charged with involuntary homicide, the most serious crime that could be filed in the country, but it only carries a sentence of up to two years in prison.
“I just feel frustrated because how is it possible that everybody else’s life changed but theirs?” Luz Contreras said.
Prosecutors said they were given multiple warnings about the roof’s deterioration and were even urged to cancel the concert that was going on at the time of the collapse.
The club owners maintain they had no ill intent, but survivors and victims’ families say they want justice.
“We’re still here. We still exist,” Luz Contreras said. “My sister existed, and even though she might not be here, but we’re her voice now.”