New York City Mayor Eric Adams, after visiting the site of a deadly roof collapse at a Dominican Republic nightclub, told Newsmax in an exclusive interview that it was important to pay his respects to 231 people who lost their lives there, just as people visited New York City out of the respect for the lives lost in the 9/11 attacks.
"They were just really appreciative that [we] would come here and mourn with people who mourn," Adams told Newsmax's Jason Mattera in an interview on "Wake Up America." "The thing about [after] 9-11, people came from all over the globe. They came to show their support for our country during that difficult time.
"Those people had no direct connection to the New York City tragedy, but they offered help. I remember the various fire trucks, the various police vehicles, people coming on that ground, helping dig out hand-over-hand."
The collapse, at Santo Domingo's legendary Jet Set club on April 7, took the lives of 231 people who were attending a concert. Adams arrived on Monday to pay his respects.
An estimated 700,000 Dominicans live in New York City, representing 8% of its population. Adams has announced his candidacy as an independent in a race to keep his seat as mayor.
Mattera reported that Adams defended the visit as being symbolic because of the size of New York City's large Dominican population.
The mayor told Newsmax that when he visited the site of the former Jet Set club, he was not expecting to see the extent of the devastation.
"When you're there and you see the entire roof is gone, when you see all the faces of the individuals lined up out front, it is just surreal," he said. "It's something that you almost could actually relive in your head. All of us have been in a nightclub. All of us have been at a concert venue, and just to think … the entire roof caves in and you have nowhere to go."
Mattera reported that having been at the site, he would agree that nothing prepares one for the damage.
"When you're there and seeing it, the devastation is pretty real," he said.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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