Alma Joselin Holguín, a 48-year-old lawyer from the Dominican Republic, went to the Jet Set nightclub on Monday (April 7) with her husband to watch Rubby Pérez in concert. She details the venue’s ambiance inside and the exact moment its roof collapsed. Both Holguín and her husband survived the tragedy. Here’s her story, in her own words, exclusively on Billboard.
It was a very joyful night. Rubby Pérez gave his 100%; I had never seen him perform before, and I wanted to see him because he has several songs that remind me of my teenage years. It was my second time, after almost 30 years of not going to Jet Set, and my husband’s first. The club started filling up around 10:40 p.m., and at one point there were up to 700 people. The truth is, that night Rubby had the crowd happy, dancing, singing. Everyone was enjoying the moment, taking selfies. The crowd was very happy.
I didn’t see anything unusual from where we were sitting. We were opposite of the stage, near a bar by the entrance and about 35 meters from an emergency exit. In fact, they offered us a VIP table near the stage, and we declined to avoid the large groups of people. We were just enjoying the concert from where we were. We didn’t feel the need to go near the stage or onto the dance floor because it was too crowded.
The orchestra started playing around 11:38 that night, and after an hour, it was all over. Around 12:40 a.m., I was one of the first people to call 911. I got through right away, and I said, “The roof of the Jet Set just fell. It’s crushing everyone. Send all the ambulances you can!”
All in all, we weren’t hysterical at the time.
Jet Set Club survivor, Alba Holguín and her husband, at the Rubby Pérez concert moments before roof collapse.
Alba Holguín
I remember there was a deathly silence, like a void in the air. The ceiling collapsed with a single blow, the entire roof fell with the irons, with the lights, it collapsed with everything! It landed at the same level as where we were sitting. It fell almost at our feet. I remember the dust rising, I remember that silence, and then the people screaming. The only thing I thought at that moment was, “My God, the ceiling fell on people!”
We had to unblock the emergency exit because they had chairs and tables blocking it—when they moved all that, a group of about 30 people managed to get out with us. I had no feelings at that moment; it was a mechanical thing: protect ourselves, sort things out, and leave.
Today I feel tired and burdened because I slept very poorly. Emotionally, I feel a certain gratitude, a certain peace for being alive. Sadness for everything that’s happening. I’ve tried not to watch too much news so as not to expose myself further emotionally. Yesterday and today I went to work, trying to make more sense of the fact that my husband and I were blessed with a protection that we believe is divine, and we came out without a scratch, without anything.
We’re trying to carry on with life as normally as possible because at the end of the day, it’s like feeling like I have a mission in life. I was blessed with the opportunity to bear witness. I survived a tragedy, and it was because of God’s love, a divine protection.
