Coordinates: 40°49′45″N 73°55′01″W / 40.829046°N 73.916814°W / 40.829046; -73.916814

Puerto Rican Social Club fire

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Puerto Rican Social Club fire
Location1005 Morris Avenue, Bronx, New York City[1]
Coordinates40°49′45″N 73°55′01″W / 40.829046°N 73.916814°W / 40.829046; -73.916814
DateOctober 24, 1976 (1976-10-24)
2:30 am (Eastern Time)
Attack type
Arson
Deaths25
Injured24
Assailants
  • Jose Antonio Cordero
  • Francisco Mendez
  • Hector Lopez
MotiveJealousy

A fire broke out shortly after 2:30am on October 24, 1976, at the Puerto Rican Social Club in the Bronx, New York City, as a result of arson.[2][3] Jose Antonio Cordero, reportedly either a jealous lover or enraged family member of a woman attending the club, offered two teenagers, Francisco Mendez and Hector Lopez, rum and marijuana in exchange for setting fire to the club. Mendez poured gasoline around the property, while Lopez set it alight. The fire spread quickly, and club patrons found the fire escape blocked by a metal door that had been installed to prevent burglaries. The fire killed 25 patrons and injured 24 others.[3] Cordero pleaded guilty to arson, Mendez pleaded guilty to 25 counts of murder, and Lopez received a life sentence for striking the match.[4]

References

  1. ^ Oreskes, Michael (January 3, 1977). "Police arrest two suspects for the Bronx social club fire that killed 25 people". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (October 25, 1976). "FIRE SWEEPS BRONX SOCIAL CLUB, LEAVING 25 DEAD AND 24 INJURED". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Kleiman, Dena (February 11, 1978). "Youth Guilty of Causing 25 Deaths In Bronx Social Club Fire in 1976". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Nolan, Caitlin (December 29, 2017). "Bronx Fire That Killed 12 Is Latest in History of New York City's Deadliest Fires". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
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