
Pedro Martinez says he has family members unaccounted for in Dominican nightclub roof collapse
Dominican-born Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez said Wednesday he has family members unaccounted for who were inside the Santo Domingo nightclub when its roof collapsed.
The 53-year-old Martinez was born in Manoguayabo, about 10 miles west of the Dominican Republic's capital city. At least 124 people were killed and hundreds more injured when the roof collapsed early Tuesday.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil does not have to be released despite judge's order, Trump administration argues
Mahmoud Khalil's hopes of being freed on bond as he continues fighting the Trump administration's efforts to deport him were dashed Friday, despite a judge saying the government could no longer hold Khalil on the premise that his presence in the country is against the national interest. The administration was given until 9:30 a.m. Friday to file an appeal, or else the preliminary injunction would go into effect. No appeal was filed Friday, and attorneys for the Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student demanded his release. 'The deadline has come and gone and Mahmoud Khalil must be released immediately. Anything further is an attempt to prolong his unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel detention,' Khalil's legal team said in a statement Friday morning. Judge Michael Farbiarz gave the government a new deadline of 1:30 p.m. to respond to the demand of Khalil's attorneys that he be immediately released. Farbiarz said the determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Khalil's presence in the country had 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States' was likely unconstitutional. But attorneys for the Department of Justice said the judge's decision did not prevent them from continuing to hold Khalil on a second claim – that he failed to give required information in his application to become a legal permanent resident of the US, in their response letter to the judge on Friday. Farbiarz appeared to throw cold water on that reasoning in his order earlier this week, writing, 'The evidence is that lawful permanent residents are virtually never detained pending removal for the sort of alleged omissions in a lawful-permanent-resident application that the Petitioner is charged with here.' But the judge did not specifically strike down that charge as a reason for detaining Khalil, and the Trump administration is seizing on that distinction. 'While the Court made a factual finding that it was unlikely that Khalil would be detained on another basis … the Court never held that it would be unlawful for Respondents to detain Khalil based on another charge of removability,' the Department of Justice attorneys wrote in their response. Khalil has not been charged with a crime. The Syrian-born Palestinian refugee is one of several foreign nationals the Trump administration has accused of posing a national security threat due to alleged ties to terrorist organizations – a claim his attorneys have repeatedly disputed. The administration has relied on an obscure section of US law to argue that Khalil should be deported because his presence in the United States threatens the administration's foreign policy goal of combatting antisemitism. His lawyers, meanwhile, challenged the legality of Khalil's detention and contend he was targeted for his pro-Palestinian views in violation of his constitutional rights. They argue the government's evidence is insufficient and based solely on a letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that does not allege criminal activity. CNN's Gloria Pazmino contributed to this report. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dominican nightclub owner arrested in deaths of 236 in roof collapse
June 13 (UPI) -- The owner of a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic is facing an involuntary homicide charge after 236 people died because the roof collapsed during a concert in April, prosecutors announced. Antonio Espaillat, whose family also owns a chain of radio stations, was questioned by the attorney general's office in the capital, Santo Domingo, on Thursday, The New York Times reported. He then was detained, his lawyer, Jorge Luis Polanco, said. Also arrested on the same charge was his sister Maribel Espaillat, who helped manage the club Jet Set. Authorities have 48 hours to seek charges before a judge. He was arrested after a club employee gave authorities evidence that showed he had warned the club's owners that they should cancel the concert on April 8 because the roof was in such poor condition and had been repeatedly repaired. "Both defendants displayed immense irresponsibility and negligence by failing to physically intervene to prevent the club's roof from collapsing, as it ultimately did, causing 236 deaths and more than 180 injuries," the attorney general's office said in a statement obtained by MSN. Also, the office also said they tried to "manipulate or intimidate" employees as potential witnesses. Plinio Pina, the employee's lawyer, told reporters Wednesday: "Our client presented, basically, evidence of conversations in which he gave an account of the situation at the nightclub in which he expressed his fears and apprehensions, and his suggestion that the event be suspended. And that was ignored." Satellite images showed equipment, including air-conditioning condensers, on the club's roof. An official report by the National Office of Seismic Evaluation and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings concluded that the nightclub's roof structure was in critical condition and showed signs of deterioration before the tragedy occurred. Antonio Espaillat, who was out of the country during the tragedy, and his mother owned Jet Set, which is about a block from the shore in Santo Domingo and was known for live music. The roof collapsed during a performance by the merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was known as the "highest voice in merengue." Perez died, as well as a Dominican governor, former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dorel and Tony Blanco, family members of prominent bankers, the city's director of urban infrastructure and the minister of public works' son. More than 70 civil lawsuits have been filed, including many from the nearly 200 survivors. Two weeks after the roof collapse, Antonio Espaillat said in a television interview that the club's ceiling panels often got soaked from water leaking from the air conditioning. Workers replaced ceiling panels on the same day of the fatal concert. He said he didn't know how bad the situation was. "The first thing I want to say is that I have a very great pain," he said."I regret all the losses with all my soul." One day after the roof collapse, there were 184 deaths and 155 injuries reported. Also, 145 people were rescued from the wreckage in the first 24 hours, Juan Manuel Mendez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center. Rescue workers from Israel and Puerto Rico assisted.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Apopka sisters fight for parents' return after deportation
An Apopka family is distressed after their parents were sent back to Guatemala. The two American-born daughters spoke out today, asking for their parents to be allowed to come home. This story shows how tough immigration rules can be for families. The parents, Esvin Juarez and Rosmeri Miranda, were recently deported. Esvin, who owns a small business and has four American kids, was held by immigration officers and then sent away. Rosmeri was also held and is now deported. The family says Esvin was even trying to get a special visa for crime victims, because he was attacked in 2021. Beverly Juarez, one of the daughters, shared her family's history in the U.S. 'My mom and my dad are Guatemalans who have been together for over 20 years,' she said. 'They came into the country illegally a long time ago. They missed a court date because they were scared, and then they were ordered to leave.' Beverly explained that her dad had been working with immigration officials since 2010 to try and become legal. Groups like the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition and Hope CommUnity Center are supporting the family. Felipe Sosa, who runs the Hope CommUnity Center, said the family wants a fair chance. 'What we are asking for is simple and lawful: a stay of deportation so this family can have a full and fair chance to present their case,' Sosa explained. This means they want the deportation stopped so a judge can hear their full story. However, not everyone agrees with the family's plea. U.S. Congressman Randy Fine supported the deportations. He said, 'I think it's a great day. Two more illegal immigrants sent home.' He believes the parents are fully responsible for the situation. 'The only people who bear any responsibility for this situation are the illegal immigrant parents who did this, he added.' State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith stood with the Juarez family, saying, 'Today we are all the Juarez family because we are all immigrants.' The family and their supporters hope that officials will show understanding and allow the Juarez parents to reunite with their children. Their story highlights the real impact of immigration rules on families. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.